The Associated Press dropped its NCAA preseason All-America team on Tuesday, with Trojan guard JuJu Watkins and forward KiKi Iriafen representing a highly anticipated new-look USC on the list.

The 30-member national media panel also named UConn superstar and projected 2025 WNBA Draft No. 1 pick Paige Bueckers, Texas sophomore Madison Booker, and Notre Dame guard Hannah Hidalgo to the exceptional five-player squad. What's more, Watkins and Bueckers received unanimous nods.

View this post on Instagram

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

New-look USC faces high NCAA expectations

Last season, Watkins put together arguably the most impressive freshman campaign in NCAA basketball history, averaging over 27 points per game and setting a national freshman scoring record with 920 points.

Along with this week's AP nod, the sophomore secured the 2024/25 Big Ten Preseason Player of the Year vote last month.

In grad student Iriafen, USC landed this offseason's top transfer, as the Stanford standout flew south in the wake of both the Pac-12's 2024 dissolution and the April retirement of Cardinal leader Tara VanDerveer — the winningest coach in NCAA basketball history.

Last season, Iriafen averaged a double-double at 19.4 points and 11 rebounds per game. Now on the preseason No. 3 team, she'll aim, alongside Watkins, to improve on the Trojans' 2024 Elite Eight run — their best March Madness performance in 30 years.

USC head coach Lindsay Gottlieb called Watkins the X-factor in Iriafen's transfer decision.

"Kiki came because she wanted to play with JuJu, who recruited her because she wanted to play with Kiki," she explained. "It’s exciting to see their personalities mesh."

Underclassmen lead the charge in NCAA preseason All-America team

With the sophomore trio of Watkins, Booker, and Hidalgo, young players are leading the 2024/25 NCAA season, even before the November tip-off.

"It’s unbelievable," remarked Gottlieb. "Those players excelled as freshmen and their teams won. They did it in multiple ways. It’s really exciting for the game and the future of it."

Last season, Hildago's 22.6-point average led Notre Dame to the ACC Tournament title and the NCAA tournament's Sweet 16.

Booker, on the other hand, had an unexpected breakout season after the star Texas guard Rori Harmon was sidelined with an ACL injury. The newly minted starter stepped up for Texas in a big way, ultimately averaging 16.5 points, five assists, and five rebounds through her freshman year.

Last season, Booker also led the Longhorns to a Big 12 Tournament title.

South Carolina snubbed?

Notably, the preseason All-America team does not include any players from reigning NCAA champion South Carolina, who went undefeated in their 2023/24 campaign. The news comes a little over a week after the Gamecocks topped the preseason AP women’s college basketball rankings.

"We knew we’d have a target on our backs this season as the reigning champions and this preseason ranking just confirms that," South Carolina coach Dawn Staley told the AP last week. "We appreciate the recognition, but I know our coaching staff and our team are more focused on what we see in the gym every day. And that’s every player working extremely hard to get better individually and as a team."

The publication first started compiling an NCAA preseason All-America team ahead of the 1994/95 season.

The 2025 NWSL Championship claimed a major viewership milestone on Saturday, as Gotham FC's 1-0 title win over the Washington Spirit became the first-ever league match to record an average of more than one million viewers.

The CBS evening broadcast averaged an impressive 1.184 million fans and peaked at 1.55 million viewers, making it the most-watched NWSL match of all time.

View this post on Instagram

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

The 2025 final marked a 22% viewership increase over the 967,900 fans who watched 2024's Orlando Pride victory — the previous NWSL viewership record-holder — and a 45% ratings gain over Gotham's 2023 championship win, which averaged 816,800 viewers.

Saturday's gains both matched the 22% viewership increase the NWSL regular season saw this year and also far exceeded the 2025 postseason's pre-final year-over-year increase of 5%.

Calling the one-million viewer mark "an extraordinary achievement" in Tuesday's league statement, NWSL commissioner Jessica Berman also noted that the "record-setting audience demonstrates the deepening connection fans have with our players, our clubs, and the world-class competition on the field, and it underscores the growing demand for women's soccer on the biggest stages."

"We're incredibly proud of what this moment represents for the NWSL and for everyone who continues to invest in and believe in the future of our game," Berman added.

Incoming offseason league Project B scored more major WNBA signings this week, as the upstart venture continues stacking its roster ahead of a planned November 2026 launch.

Indiana Fever guards Kelsey Mitchell and Sophie Cunningham have both publicly signed on with Project B, joining already announced talent like Seattle Storm star Nneka Ogwumike and Phoenix Mercury forward Alyssa Thomas, New York Liberty center Jonquel Jones, and Las Vegas Aces guard Jewell Loyd.

Also inking deals to join the inaugural season of Project B are Chicago Sky center Kamilla Cardoso, Golden State Valkyries forward Janelle Salaün, and Li Meng, a former Washington Mystics guard and current player in the Women's Chinese Basketball Association.

The multi-continent, Formula One-style traveling tournament circuit will ultimately sign 66 international stars, as Project B looks to field six 11-player teams in its debut 2026/2027 campaign.

Project B player signings will undoubtedly impact other offseason leagues like Unrivaled and Athletes Unlimited, but the new venture is also looming large over the ongoing WNBA CBA talks.

With negotiations racing toward this Sunday's extended deadline, Project B is putting WNBA compensation offerings under increased pressure, as the new league is reportedly anteing up multimillion-dollar salaries to its signees — far exceeding the 2025 WNBA maximum as well as the $1.1 million-max currently on the negotiating table.

World No. 1 Spain will take aim at a second-straight UEFA Nations League title this week, as La Roja take on No. 5 Germany in the first leg of the 2025 tournament's final at 2:30 PM ET on Friday.

The defending Nations League champions booked their spot in the 2025 final by dismantling No. 3 Sweden 5-0 on aggregate in the semifinal round, while Germany advanced after a tense 3-2 aggregate win over No. 6 France.

Germany must also contend with availability issues during Friday's match, as 28-year-old Bayern Munich forward and senior national team leading scorer Lea Schüller will be out due to family reasons.

To overcome that disadvantage, German head coach Christian Wück is reinforcing the team's back line, adding Athletic Bilbao defender Bibi Schulze Solano to the roster on Wednesday.

Also aiming to shut down Spain's offensive firepower on Friday is new NWSL champion goalkeeper Ann-Katrin Berger, who joined her German compatriots late following Gotham FC's title celebrations in New York this week.

While Spain and Germany will contend for the 2025 Nations League trophy this week, the pair — along with ousted semifinalists Sweden and France — have already booked spots in the top group of teams battling for tickets to the 2027 World Cup, with UEFA qualifying set to begin in 2026.

A full 19 months removed from their back-to-back Final Four runs, No. 11 Iowa basketball refuses to go away, with the Hawkeyes already notching one Top-25 win in the young 2025/26 NCAA campaign so far.

The still-unbeaten Hawkeyes took down No. 15 Baylor 57-52 last Thursday, with Iowa starting post players Hannah Stuelke and Ava Heiden combining for 28 points while guard Taylor Stremlow added another 12 off the bench in the marquee win.

"We have nice pieces," said Iowa head coach Jan Jensen this week. "But it's knowing when to play which pieces and with whom, and we're six games in."

The Hawkeyes have been finding their new identity under Jensen after a transformative period saw Iowa's longtime head coach Lisa Bluder retire while superstar guard Caitlin Clark joined the WNBA.

"Jan's been amazing," Stuelke told JWS at the Big Ten Media Day in October. "She stepped up like she needed to, and she's been growing every day since she's been the head coach, which it's really cool to see she cares. And it's a great environment for all of us."

"I have a year under my belt," Jensen echoed. "I know what this chair feels like now, and I have a little better of understanding of what that first road trip feels like, what that first big win feels like, or the tough loss feels like."

Iowa's season heats up with a ranked rivalry matchup against No. 10 Iowa State on Wednesday, December 10th.

The state rivals will tip off at 7 PM ET, with live coverage airing on ESPN.