In the midst of an injury-riddled season, the No. 5 UConn Huskies have managed to stretch their limited lineup all the way to a 20-2 record.

Their latest win came over NCAA scoring leader Maddy Siegrist and No. 19 Villanova. The Huskies ended the contest on a 20-13 run in the fourth quarter to secure a 63-58 victory, yet another against-all-odds performance from a team that has grown accustomed to overcoming adversity.

The words “UConn” and “adversity” rarely are used together, as the Huskies historically have been the most dominant team in women’s college basketball. But this season is different, as they play without stars Paige Bueckers and Azzi Fudd and deal with a plethora of other injuries.

And yet UConn keeps winning. Its two losses came at the hands of No. 9 Notre Dame and No. 8 Maryland, both respectable defeats even with a full roster. But as the Huskies navigate conference play and inch closer to March, a question arises: Can they keep it up?

Proud of this team, they keep fighting 💙 pic.twitter.com/gdtAmCrzkJ

— UConn Women’s Basketball (@UConnWBB) January 30, 2023

While Bueckers is out for the season, there’s hope for Fudd to make a return. Still, UConn certainly will be cautious with the sophomore guard.

Fudd missed a month of action after injuring her knee in UConn’s Dec. 4 loss to Notre Dame. And then, after playing just one full game, she reaggravated the injury against Georgetown on Jan. 15. There is no timetable for the guard’s return, and she won’t be putting weight on her knee until the start of February.

Without Fudd, and with Caroline Ducharme and other players dealing with their own injuries, the Huskies have a numbers problem. Against Villanova, coach Geno Auriemma rolled with a six-player rotation, in which Aaliyah Edwards, Dorka Juhász and Nika Muhl played all 40 minutes. Lou Lopez Sénéchal and Aubrey Griffin were on the court for 38 and 37 minutes, respectively.

No matter how talented the available Huskies are, burnout is definitely a concern. With a small rotation, it’s possible they run out of steam, particularly in the Big East tournament and the NCAA tournament, when games are played in a shorter window. Having three players put in 40 minutes a game with limited rest in between contests is not sustainable.

Another issue that may come into play is personnel. So far, the Huskies have met nearly every challenge they’ve come across. A lot of that has come down to the play of Edwards and Lopez Sénéchal. The pair are the only players on UConn’s roster that have played in all 22 games so far this season, and they’ve been reliable offensive forces.

Edawrds’ 17.4 points, 9.1 rebounds and 2.8 assists per game have put her in Player of the Year conversations, while Lopez Sénéchal’s ability to hit big shots has Auriemma preaching on her potential as a professional, either in the WNBA or overseas. The guard is averaging 16.8 points per game and shooting 49% from the 3-point line.

But what happens when one of its dynamic duo is shut down? Well, against Villanova, Lopez Sénéchal was held in check with just 6 points – the first time all season the Fairfield transfer has scored less than 10 points in a game. Griffin and Juhász picked up the slack with 19 and 16 points, respectively, seemingly answering that question.

Yet as long as Fudd is sidelined, UConn will have one big missing piece: a player who can create their own shot. In March, that’s something the Huskies will need.

Edwards is capable of scoring on most anyone in the paint, but she needs someone to feed her the ball. Lopez Sénéchal is in the upper echelon of shooters, but she doesn’t break down defenders off the dribble. Fudd can put the ball on the floor and force her defender into mistakes, and against elite defensive teams (the kind you see in March), such a player can provide a needed edge.

It’s hard to count the Huskies out from a deep postseason run simply because at every turn, and despite every hardship, they’ve delivered. Even so, the UConn faithful would likely feel more confident with Fudd on the floor. And until her return is confirmed, the questions will remain.

Sportico released its 2025 tennis prize money tracker late last week, and three of the annual cross-tour rankings' Top-5 earners hail from the WTA.

With $8.21 million in total 2025 earnings so far, newly minted Wimbledon winner Iga Świątek came in third behind ATP Tour giants Carlos Alcaraz ($10.63 million) and Jannik Sinner ($9.04 million).

Just behind Świątek sit reigning US Open champ Aryna Sabalenka ($7.13 million) and 2025 French Open winner Coco Gauff ($5.95 million) in fourth- and fifth-place, respectively.

Even more, a total of six women's tour standouts occupy slots in the Top 10, with Mirra Andreeva ($4.15 million), Madison Keys ($3.96 million), and Jasmine Paolini ($3.79 million) joining the previously trio in that upper echelon.

The gender parity on the list is a direct result of the fact that all four of the sport's Grand Slams boast equal prize money between the men's and women's competitions — a shift that began with the 1973 US Open and saw full adoption across the quartet of tennis majors with the 2007 Wimbledon Championships.

Now approaching two decades of Grand Slam equal pay, pro tennis players enjoy one of the highest in-competition earning potentials across all women's sports.

This year's tennis prize money rankings are far from locked in, however, as the 2025 US Open steps into its second round on Wednesday — with a record-setting $90 million total purse on the line to boost players' spots on the list.

Should world No. 1 Sabalenka defend her title — or if No. 2 Świątek or No. 3 Gauff emerges victorious in the season's final Grand Slam — a WTA player could launch herself to the top of the 2025 earnings list.

The No. 3 Las Vegas Aces are on an historic tear, extending the league's longest winning streak this season to 11 games by defeating the No. 12 Chicago Sky 79-74 on Monday night — becoming the second team to clinch a spot in the 2025 WNBA Playoffs in the process.

Despite a 30-point performance from Chicago guard Ariel Atkins, plus double-doubles from Sky center Kamilla Cardoso and forward Angel Reese, the Aces emerged victorious behind guard Jackie Young's team-leading 22 points.

MVP contender A'ja Wilson and veteran guard Chelsea Gray also added 18 and 14 points, respectively, to fuel the Las Vegas win.

"They've been resilient," Aces head coach Becky Hammon said following Monday's game. "It's been a really tough stretch…you're getting beat up and you've got to maintain, you have to play through it."

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The Aces haven't dropped a game since August 2nd's 53-point blowout loss to the No. 1 Minnesota Lynx, racking up seven wins over teams currently in postseason positions as they climb the WNBA standings.

As for the already-eliminated Sky, Chicago did have one big reason to celebrate on Monday night, as the team raised the jersey of retired WNBA legend Candace Parker into the rafters during a halftime ceremony complete with remarks from current Phoenix Mercury star and 2021 WNBA champion Kahleah Copper.

"Today we celebrate you," Copper said to her former teammate. "You gave this game everything. Your time, your body, your heart. You didn't just play the game — you set records, you broke barriers, and you left your mark in ways stats can't fully compare."

How to watch the Las Vegas Aces this week

The No. 3 Aces have their work cut out for them as they shoot for 12 straight wins during their visit to the No. 2 Atlanta Dream on Wednesday.

The clash tips off at 7:30 PM ET with live coverage airing on NBA TV.

The No. 5 New York Liberty stopped the skid on Monday, as the reigning WNBA champions claimed a tight 81-79 victory over the No. 11 Connecticut Sun with 2023 MVP Breanna Stewart back the starting lineup.

Following her 13-game absence due to a bone bruise, Stewart scored a team-leading 19 points on Monday, offsetting Sun guard Leïla Lacan's game-high 22 points as already-eliminated Connecticut tried to play spoiler in Brooklyn.

"She's just got this relentlessness about her that can rub off on her teammates," New York head coach Sandy Brondello said of Stewart's influence. "She's got the highest motor I've ever seen in a player that just keeps going and going."

The Liberty have struggled with availability all season, losing guards Sabrina Ionescu (foot injury) and Natasha Cloud (nose fracture) to injury in the run-up to Stewart's return as the team slid down the standings.

However, Ionescu joined Stewart in returning to the Liberty court on Monday, with Cloud reportedly on track to rejoin the New York lineup later this week.

With games against the No. 10 Washington Mystics, No. 4 Phoenix Mercury, and No. 7 Golden State Valkyries looming over the next week, the Liberty are hoping their best basketball is still in front of them.

"We're in an uphill battle right now and it's not going to get any easier," Stewart said of the team's upcoming schedule.

How to watch the New York Liberty this week

The No. 5 Liberty will next take the court on Thursday, when New York will host the No. 10 Mystics at 7 PM ET.

Live coverage of the clash will air on Prime.

With the current CBA expiring in just over two months, Front Office Sports reported Monday that the prospect of the WNBA and the players' union (WNBPA) reaching a deal before the October 31st deadline is "increasingly unlikely."

"As we approach the 60-day mark, the league's lack of urgency leaves players wondering if it is focused on making this work or just running out the clock," WNBPA executive director Terri Carmichael Jackson told FOS in a statement. "Fans do not want that. They are with the players in demanding a new standard for the W."

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While this year's CBA negotiations have been rocky, the inability to reach a deal in time doesn't necessarily crush the league's immediate plans.

Should they not come to an agreement, the parties will have the option to extend the original deadline in order to avoid an immediate work stoppage — so long as both the WNBA and the WNBPA sign off on the move.

There is precedent for a negotiation extension, with the WNBA and WNBPA pushing the deadline for the 2019 CBA back 60 days to allow for more time to hash out details — a move that ended in an agreement ahead of the 2020 season's free agency period.

However, the WNBA is under added pressure to turn things around.

With expansion teams in Toronto and Portland joining the league in 2026, the clock is ticking for the league to schedule and issue rules for the impending expansion draft.

Until the next CBA lays out the newly negotiated terms surrounding both expansion and free agency, the incoming Tempo and Fire will continue waiting in roster-building limbo.

Ultimately, the WNBA will do everything it can to avoid a strike, but the league will have to balance priorities as rapid growth competes with player demands.