Unrivaled is officially back, as the offseason 3×3 basketball league tips off Season 2 on Monday afternoon — packed with more teams, deeper rosters, and an expanded broadcast schedule.

The WNBA offshoot has grown from six to eight teams this year, adding Hive BC and Breeze BC to its founding lineup while also bringing in a developmental player pool to supplement absences and injuries.

Plus, each week of the regular season now features four nights of action, running games on Fridays, Saturdays, Sundays, and Mondays through February 27th.

This year's formatting will mirror Season 1, with small-sided full-court play, targeted fourth-quarter scoring, single-shot free throws, seven-minute periods, and a shortened 18-second shot clock.

Unrivaled's popular midseason 1v1 tournament will also make its comeback next month ahead of March's newly expanded playoffs.

Unlike Season 1, the Miami-based league will hit the road on January 30th, when four teams will play in Unrivaled's first-ever "tour stop" in Philadelphia.

Napheesa Collier's injury looms over the Lunar Owls

The Lunar Owls will be without their biggest star on Monday, as Unrivaled co-founder and last year's leading scorer Napheesa Collier announced last Thursday that she'll miss all of Season 2 due to dual ankle injuries.

Collier will undergo double surgeries to fix the problem, with a four- to six-month estimated recovery time putting an additional question mark on her WNBA availability for its 2026 season.

"I have fought hard over the last few months to be back with my Owls and was devastated to be told by my team of doctors that surgery was the best path forward," Collier posted to Instagram late last week.

Forward Temi Fagbenle (Golden State Valkyries) will fill Collier's Unrivaled roster spot, with the Owls also relying on guards Skylar Diggins (Seattle Storm) and Marina Mabrey (Connecticut Sun) alongside versatile forward — and last year's 1v1 tournament runner-up — Aaliyah Edwards (Connecticut Sun).

Reigning Unrivaled champs Rose BC shoot for consistency

After getting hot in the 2025 postseason, Rose BC will shoot to defend their inaugural 3×3 title without two of last year's regular-season starters.

Star forward Angel Reese (Chicago Sky) did not sign with Unrivaled this year while guard Brittney Sykes (Seattle Storm) jumped ship to the Laces, with the team returning guards Chelsea Gray (Las Vegas Aces), Kahleah Copper (Phoenix Mercury), and Lexie Hull (Indiana Fever) plus forward Azurá Stevens (LA Sparks).

"A lot of us have played with each other already, so that helps, obviously we have four returners," said Copper. "Chelsea does a really good job of setting us up to be successful, so it makes it really easy."

Rose BC will also have a returning presence on the bench, as Dallas Wings assistant coach Nola Henry comes back after leading the team to a championship in her first-ever head coaching role.

Young superstars bring the 3×3 heat to Breeze BC

Newcomer Breeze BC is already bringing the heat, as the 2026 expansion team looks to transform a powder keg of young talent into a 3×3 dynamo.

Reigning WNBA Rookie of the Year Paige Bueckers (Dallas Wings) will make her Unrivaled debut alongside forward Dominique Malonga (Seattle Storm) and guard Aari McDonald (Indiana Fever), joining second-year stars Cameron Brink (LA Sparks), Kate Martin (Golden State Valkyries), and Rickea Jackson (LA Sparks).

"It means a lot that I get to be back here and play with someone like Paige," said Brink. "It's a once in a lifetime opportunity, as great of a player as she is. I think her mid-range game is really going to tear people up."

The team's lack of experience will be tempered by former Seattle head coach Noelle Quinn, as she assumes her first sideline role post-Storm.

Vinyl BC gets ready to stir the 3×3 pot

Falling one game short of the 2025 title, Vinyl BC returns to the court armed with amped up versatility and a renewed focus on crossing the finish line.

Rhyne Howard (Atlanta Dream), Rae Burrell (LA Sparks), and Dearica Hamby (LA Sparks) are back on the roster, joining big-name signings Courtney Williams (Minnesota Lynx) and Brittney Griner (Atlanta Dream).

"We might crash out a couple of times," laughed rookie guard Erica Wheeler (Seattle Storm). "We gonna talk some mess...we all have one goal, and that's to win."

Returning head coach Teresa Weatherspoon will also bolster the Season 1 runners-up, with the ex-Chicago Sky boss known for developing players eager to improve their 3×3 skills.

Mist BC shoots for Unrivaled redemption

One of just two teams missing the playoffs in 2025, Mist BC is gearing up for a redemption tour behind newly healthy Unrivaled co-founder Breanna Stewart.

Stewart competed last season with limited availability before undergoing minor knee surgery, returning to the 3×3 court rested following the New York Liberty's early WNBA postseason exit.

"I can't tell you the last time where I was just not on the basketball court for a month," she said ahead of Monday's tip-off. "I was able to take a step back and feel better, and then move forward."

Stewart's leadership will come in handy this year, with the Mist rebuilding their lineup around the 31-year-old.

Five new faces are also joining the squad, including top WNBA performers Allisha Gray (Atlanta Dream), Arike Ogunbowale (Dallas Wings), and Veronica Burton (Golden State Valkyries).

Veterans shape Hive BC's Unrivaled debut

Hive BC will look to lean on leadership this year, as tested WNBA veterans line up beside up-and-comers to form the 2026 expansion team.

Experienced pros Kelsey Mitchell (Indiana Fever) and Monique Billings (Golden State Valkyries) make their Unrivaled debut with the Hive, balancing out rookies Sonia Citron (Washington Mystics) and Saniya Rivers (Connecticut Sun).

"We're vets on this team," said Billings. "Setting an example, setting the tone, and having an enjoyable season."

"Fun is important," added Mitchell, now fully recovered from the muscle condition that saw her depart the 2025 WNBA semifinals. "If you're not enjoying it, you can't really do it if you truly want to be good at it."

Billings and Ezi Magbegor (Seattle Storm) are set to battle in the interior, as backcourt playmaker Natisha Hiedeman (Minnesota Lynx) gives the still-gelling Hive options behind the arc.

Revamped Phantom BC relies on top-tier signings

After finishing the 2025 season in last place, Phantom BC is looking to change things up, bringing back just two players from last year's disappointing run.

Second-year guard Natasha Cloud (New York Liberty) will try to better her team's results, with returning forward Satou Sabally (Phoenix Mercrury) set to miss the start of the season with lingering concussion symptoms dating back to October's WNBA Finals.

Former Laces guard Tiffany Hayes (Golden State Valkyries) will take over Sabally's duties for now, with the starter potentially rejoining the squad later this season.

The Phantom will instead bet on flashy newcomers, combining three-point shooting specialists Kelsey Plum (LA Sparks) and Dana Evans (Las Vegas Aces) with the sharp inside game of forward Kiki Iriafen (Washington Mystics) as the trio make their 3×3 debuts.

"I'm just excited to be here, excited for the opportunity to get better," said Plum after opting out of the 2025 season for personal reasons. "So far my experience has been nothing short of amazing."

Laces BC's Unrivaled bounce-back hinges on health

Laces BC is betting on health in 2026, with multiple returning stars anticipating greater availability as the team looks to recover from their early 2025 playoff exit.

Key starters Jackie Young (Las Vegas Aces) and Alyssa Thomas (Phoenix Mercury) are coming back in top form, boosting the potential for regular-season momentum.

"Last year was kind of different for me. I was hurt most of the season," said Young. "So kind of just building, and not having to start from from zero."

The Laces could present a mismatched threat this year, adding 6-foot-2 forwards Maddy Siegrist (Dallas Wings) and Naz Hillmon (Atlanta Dream) while undersized guards Brittney Sykes (Seattle Storm) and Jordin Canada (Atlanta Dream) run the backcourt.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Just Women’s Sports (@justwomenssports)

How to watch Unrivaled 3×3 Basketball's Season 2 tip-off

All eight Unrivaled teams will be in action as Season 2 tips off with two stacked doubleheaders on Monday.

In the opening slate, Mist BC will kick off the season against Hive BC at 1 PM ET before Vinyl BC faces off against the Laces at 2:15 PM ET.

Both opening tilts will air live on truTV.

Then in the nightcap, the Lunar Owls will aim to start the season strong against Rose BC at 8 PM ET, with the Breeze making their debut vs. Phantom BC at 9:15 PM ET.

Live coverage of both evening games will air on TNT.

USA Hockey is sending a refreshed lineup to Italy this winter, with Friday's 23-player Olympic roster tapping both newcomers and seasoned veterans looking to avenge 2022's silver-medal finish.

US hockey legend Hilary Knight will play in her fifth — and final — Winter Games next month, with the 36-year-old forward joining fellow veteran mainstays Kendall Coyne Schofield and Lee Stecklein as just 11 players return from the team's Beijing campaign.

After falling just short of gold in Beijing, this year's USA hockey roster balances youth with experience, heading to Milan with a full dozen Olympic debutants, including seven college players — a full four from reigning NCAA champion Wisconsin.

All other 16 athletes currently compete in the PWHL with the pro league sending players from five of its eight teams to join the US squad in February.

The rest of the team focuses on young talent, including University of Wisconsin defender Laila Edwards, who will make history as USA Hockey's first-ever Black woman Olympian when she steps on the ice in Italy.

"It still hasn't really kicked in yet. Getting that call is like a dream come true," said Edwards.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Just Women’s Sports (@justwomenssports)

How to watch Team USA hockey in the 2026 Winter Olympics

The USA will open their 2026 Olympic campaign against Czechia at 10:40 AM ET on February 5th before subsequent Group A games against Finland, Switzerland, and defending champions Canada.

The clash will air live on USA Network as part of the full 2026 Olympic Games coverage across NBC platforms.

USA Hockey's 2026 Olympic roster

Goaltenders: Aerin Frankel (Boston Fleet), Ava McNaughton (University of Wisconsin), Gwyneth Philips (Ottawa Charge)

Defenders: Cayla Barnes (Seattle Torrent), Laila Edwards (University of Wisconsin), Rory Guilday (Ottawa Charge), Caroline Harvey (University of Wisconsin), Megan Keller (Boston Fleet), Lee Stecklein (Minnesota Frost), Haley Winn (Boston Fleet)

Forwards: Hannah Bilka (Seattle Torrent), Alex Carpenter (Seattle Torrent), Kendall Coyne Schofield (Minnesota Frost), Britta Curl-Salemme (Minnesota Frost), Joy Dunne (Ohio State University), Taylor Heise (Minnesota Frost), Tessa Janecke (Penn State University), Hilary Knight (Seattle Torrent), Abbey Murphy (University of Minnesota), Kelly Pannek (Minnesota Frost), Hayley Scamurra (Montréal Victoire), Kirsten Simms (University of Wisconsin), Grace Zumwinkle (Minnesota Frost)

Tennis's biggest names have hit highs and lows down under over the weekend, with stars like Coco Gauff seeing mixed results at the 2026 United Cup as the annual Australian Open team tune-up tournament heads into its knockout rounds.

World No. 4 Coco Gauff and the reigning champion Team USA are through to the quarterfinals, joined by top WTA competitor and No. 11 Belinda Bencic of Team Switzerland.

Argentina, Australia, Belgium, Czechia, and Greece also punched their tickets to the knockouts, with Tuesday night's final group-stage bout deciding whether No. 2 Iga Świątek and Team Poland or Team Germany will claim the final spot in the quarterfinals.

Thus far in the team competition, however, Gauff has experienced a particularly up-and-down tournament, suffering her first-ever United Cup singles defeat on Monday against No. 42 Jessica Bouzas Maneiro of Spain after causing a stir with her postmatch comments.

"I feel like we're definitely, in tennis, the worst," she told reporters before the singles showdown. "I've always said I wish our country in other places would show up throughout the world as we see smaller countries support."

After taking some heat, the 21-year-old later clarified her position on social media, writing "Trust me I understand the financial aspect of things and know tennis is not accessible for everyone, it was more of a comment for those who are already attending and how I wish they were as passionate as those from other countries."

How to watch Gauff and Team USA at the 2026 United Cup

Gauff will look to return to form against No. 51 Maria Sakkari when Team USA kicks off the 2026 United Cup quarterfinals against Team Greece at 9 PM ET on Tuesday, airing live on the Tennis Channel.

Unrivaled leadership is back in the hot seat, telling reporters at Monday's Season 2 tip-off that the offseason 3x3 league is open to whatever the future might bring — even if it's a formal partnership with the WNBA.

"We're not in constant dialogue about that," Unrivaled president Alex Bazzell said from Miami. "But as I've made very clear, we are open to growing the ecosystem, whichever way that looks like."

"Nothing is on the table or off the table," he continued. "I'm not going to speculate what could happen down the road, but everyone knows our door is always open."

As reported prior to the 3×3 upstart's inaugural 2025 season, Unrivaled co-founders Breanna Stewart and Napheesa Collier had approached the WNBA about a potential equity stake — in part to further illustrate that the new venture is complementary, rather than in competition with, the WNBA — but league leadership turning down the offer, citing a possible rules violation.

Questions have since come up about Unrivaled becoming a prioritization issue for players under the WNBA's still-developing CBA, but Bazzell underlined the league's benefits as being supplemental, rather than in direct conflict with the 5x5 league.

"As long as you can look at the space through an innovative lens, anything is doable," he said. "Anything is possible."

In the first AP women's basketball poll in two weeks, Monday's new rankings reflected last week's conference upsets, sending four Top 10 teams skidding down the table while other contenders broke through.

Now-No. 12 LSU suffered the biggest drop, falling seven spots after consecutive losses to No. 6 Kentucky and No. 7 Vanderbilt.

The Wildcats and the still-undefeated Commodores experienced the opposite effect, jumping five spots each after their ranked victories, with No. 5 Oklahoma and No. 10 Louisville making similar three-spot advances.

The biggest winner of this week's AP poll, however, sits just outside the Top 10, as No. 15 Michigan State leapt nine spots, defeating unranked Indiana, Illinois, and Rutgers after closing out nonconference play with a 66-49 upset win over now-No. 18 Ole Miss.

Chasing the Spartans' rise up the ranks are No. 16 Baylor, who earned a six-spot jump after handing No. 11 Iowa State their first loss of the season on Sunday, and No. 17 Texas Tech, whose unbeaten status saw the Red Raiders claim a four-spot boost.

Meanwhile, a struggling Notre Dame dropped out of the Top 25 entirely after losses to unranked Georgia Tech and Duke, snapping an 85-week AP Poll appearance streak — the third-longest in women's basketball history.

Additionally, the Top 4 remained unchanged after perfect results from No. 1 UConn, No. 2 Texas, No. 3 South Carolina, and No. 4 UCLA — who dominated their crosstown rival No. 21 USC 80-46 on Saturday.

How to watch Top 25 NCAA basketball this week

Top 25 teams will continue their conference slates this week, starting with USC taking on unranked Oregon on Tuesday.

The Trojans and visiting Ducks will tip off live at 10 PM ET on Fox Sports.

2025/26 AP Top 25 Women's College Basketball Poll: Week 9

1. UConn (15-0, Big East)
2. Texas (17-0, SEC)
3. South Carolina (15-1, SEC)
4. UCLA (14-1, Big Ten)
5. Oklahoma (14-1, SEC)
6. Kentucky (15-1, SEC)
7. Vanderbilt (15-0, SEC)
8. Maryland (15-1, Big Ten)
9. Michigan (12-2, Big Ten)
10. Louisville (14-3, ACC)
11. Iowa State (14-1, Big 12)
12. LSU (14-2, SEC)
13. TCU (14-1, Big 12)
14. Iowa (13-2, Big Ten)
15. Michigan State (14-1, Big Ten)
16. Baylor (13-3, Big 12)
17. Texas Tech (16-0, Big 12)
18. Ole Miss (14-3, SEC)
19. Ohio State (13-2, Big Ten)
20. Tennessee (10-3, SEC)
21. USC (10-4, Big Ten)
22. UNC (13-4, ACC)
23. Washington (12-2, Big Ten)
24. Princeton (13-1, Ivy)
25. Nebraska (13-2, Big Ten)