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Thankful for basketball: Five top performances so far this season

Nika Muhl left Thursday’s game after hitting her head. (David Butler II/USA TODAY Sports)

The 2022-23 college basketball season has already given us upsets, a No. 1 vs. No. 2 game, and highlight-reel accomplishments. But not all stat lines are created equal, and some showings deserve extra praise.

As we reach Thanksgiving Day, Just Women’s Sports gives thanks for five of the top performances so far.

Nika Muhl, UConn

Heading into the season, there were countless questions swirling around UConn due to the absence of star guard Paige Bueckers. Two of the most pressing questions: Who would be tasked with running the Huskies offense? And would it suffer without her?

Three wins and a No. 3 ranking later, we have answers: The Huskies’ offense will be just fine, and Muhl has emerged as an excellent floor general.

The two guards couldn’t be more different. Muhl, the reigning Big East Defensive Player of the Year, will never be touted for her scoring – her high this season is 6 points – but she can dish it out. As UConn defeated NC State 91-69 on Sunday, Muhl set the Huskies single-game assist record with 15.

Paige Robinson, Illinois State

This holiday season I’m thankful for mid-majors – hello Gonzaga and South Dakota State – because of the upsets they’ve blessed us with, and because one of the best performances so far this season came from a mid-major player.

Robinson helped her team past Wisconsin with 37 points on Nov. 20. The guard tied her career-high and helped the Redbirds defeat a Big Ten opponent for the first time since 2012, but that’s not even the most impressive part. This is: Robinson shot 100% from the 3-point line, going 7-for-7 from beyond the arc.

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Darrione Rogers has found a higher gear for DePaul through the first four games of the season. (Chris Covatta/Getty Images)

Darrione Rogers and Aneesah Morrow, DePaul

Morrow made headlines as a freshman for DePaul last season, averaging 21.9 points and 13.8 rebounds per game. This season, she’s turning heads once again, averaging 31.5 points through four games.

But this year, she also has a scoring partner in Rogers. After putting up 9.5 points and then 9.9 during her first two seasons, the guard has made a massive leap, with that number increasing to 21.8 points through her team’s first four contests.

The duo was unstoppable in a 98-83 win over Miami on Sunday. Rogers led the Blue Demons with 36 points, going 7-for-9 from 3-point range, while Morrow did her damage in the paint, scoring 35 points of her own.

Maddy Siegrist, Villanova

The Villanova forward is starting her senior season right, with four double-doubles through four games. She also helped her team break into the AP rankings, where the Wildcats currently sit at No. 23.

Siegrist is averaging 29 points and 13.3 rebounds per game and is one of just three players in the country to have a double-double in every contest for her team so far. Her best performance came in a 74-71 win over Temple, in which the senior finished with 41 points and 16 rebounds. That’s one point shy of her career-high, a feat Siegrist accomplished in an overtime win over Marquette last season.

The whole Utah team

The Utes turned heads and forced their way into the top 25 when they dismantled No. 16 Oklahoma 124-78 on Nov. 16. The scoring barrage tied a school record for most points in a game and proved to the basketball world that Utah deserves recognition on the national stage. The Utes sit at No. 17 in the latest AP Poll.

The offensive outpouring was fueled by a balanced scoring effort, with three players recording 20-plus points. Gianna Kneepkens led with 24 points, and Kennady McQueen and Alissa Pili each added 21. Isabel Palmer had 17, Dasia Young had 13, and Teya Sidberry finished with 10. Three other Utes also scored in a game that included a 41-point third quarter.

Chicago Sky Move 2025 WNBA Games Against Indiana Fever to United Center

Chicago's Angel Reese guards Indiana's Aliyah Boston during a 2024 WNBA game.
Angel Reese and the Chicago Sky will take on Aliyah Boston and the Indiana Fever at Chicago’s United Center this summer. (Melissa Tamez/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

The WNBA will be lighting up the NBA’s biggest arena this summer, with the Chicago Sky announcing on Friday that the United Center will host their 2025 home matchups against regional rival Indiana Fever.

With room for nearly 21,000 fans, the world-famous home to the NBA's Chicago Bulls will hold its first-ever WNBA game on June 7th, with the Fever returning for the second United Center clash on July 27th.

"Chicago Sky fans have consistently shown up for the team and the city, and we want to reward their passion and dedication by bringing this excitement to an expanded capacity," said Sky president and CEO Adam Fox in a team statement.

An upgrade from their usual 10,387-capacity Wintrust Arena, the move provides the Sky an opportunity to break the all-time attendance records for both the team and the league.

Chicago's current record-setting game was a 77-67 loss to the LA Sparks in 2016, when 16,444 fans broke the franchise mark at Allstate Arena in Rosemont, Illinois.

The overall WNBA record belongs to the Washington Mystics, who narrowly defeated Indiana 92-91 in front of 20,711 fans inside the larger Capital One Arena last September.

Clark's Fever crowds fuel 2025 WNBA venue boosts

The upcoming upgraded Chicago games will be the second and third meetings between the Sky and Fever on deck for the 2025 WNBA season. Buoyed by NCAA rivals-turned-2024 WNBA All-Stars Angel Reese and Caitlin Clark, the pair will clash five times across this year's campaign, with Indiana hosting three of the matchups.

In addition to the aforementioned record-setting clash with the Mystics, Indiana helped an impressive two other 2024 WNBA games break through the 20,000 attendance barrier. Even more, last season saw the Fever shatter the league's single-season home attendance mark with nearly 341,000 fans — a 36% boost over the previous record of 250,565 set by the NY Liberty in 2001.

In anticipation of the Indiana faithful again showing out in 2025, both the Mystics and the Sun — like the Sky — have moved their upcoming home matchups against the Fever to larger venues.

Washington shifted those games to the 14,000-seat CFG Bank Arena in Baltimore, Maryland, while Connecticut will meet Indiana at the NBA's Boston Celtics home of TD Garden.

Indiana Fever star Caitlin Clark guards Chicago Sky standout Angel Reese in the paint during a 2024 WNBA game.
Fueled by Caitlin Clark fans, Chicago's United Center will host two 2025 WNBA games. (Brian Spurlock/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

How to see the Fever vs. Sky WNBA game at the United Center

Fans hoping to catch the Fever and the Sky at Chicago's United Center this summer — and potentially be a part of a WNBA record-breaking crowd — can snag tickets to the upgraded games beginning at 12 PM ET on March 11th.

Tickets will be available both online and via the United Center Box Office.

USWNT Star Naomi Girma Exits Chelsea FC Debut with Injury

Naomi Girma runs across the pitch during her Chelsea FC debut on Sunday.
Girma exited her Chelsea debut with a lingering leg issue on Sunday. (Harriet Lander - Chelsea FC/Chelsea FC via Getty Images)

USWNT standout Naomi Girma made her long-awaited WSL debut on Sunday, featuring in a 2-2 Chelsea draw with Brighton before exiting in the game's 59th minute with a lingering leg injury.

The 24-year-old defender became the first women's soccer player to garner a transfer fee of over $1 million in January, with top-flight UK club Chelsea reportedly handing over a record-shattering $1.1 million to NWSL side San Diego in order to ink the star center back.

After a calf issue caused Girma to miss the USWNT’s February international break at the 2025 SheBelieves Cup and also delayed her introduction in London, she finally took the pitch for the Blues on Sunday. Swedish teammate Nathalie Björn replaced Girma after her second-half knock.

"She's learning about the league, the team and her teammates. As you could see, the first game is never easy because it's a competitive league" said Chelsea head coach Sonia Bompastor after the match. "It was good for us to have her start this game, building minutes and being able to play with the team."

"We’ll need to assess her tomorrow, but it doesn’t look too bad, but we will see," Bompastor added.

Chelsea star Lauren James celebrates a goal during a February WSL match.
Chelsea FC are hunting a sixth straight WSL title this season. (Andrew Redington/Getty Images)

Chelsea stays at No. 1 in the 2024/25 WSL standings

Two-thirds of the way through the 2024/25 WSL campaign, Chelsea remains the lone undefeated club in the league, with Sunday's draw seeing the Blues drop points for just the second time all season.

Chelsea now sits five points ahead of Manchester United in the standings, as the elite team hunts a sixth-straight WSL title this season.

As for the Red Devils, a seven-game winning streak has Man U leapfrogging both third-place Arsenal and fourth-place Manchester City to sit in second with six weeks left to play.

More WSL shakeups could be coming, as reports of Man U entering talks to loan Brazil forward Geyse to 2023 NWSL champion Gotham FC also surfaced on Sunday.

With seven WSL matchdays left, the 2024/25 league title is still Chelsea’s for the taking, but as injuries mount and rosters fluctuate, there’s still plenty of time to dethrone the reigning UK champs.

JuJu Watkins Lifts USC Over UCLA to Win Big Ten Regular-Season Title

JuJu Watkins celebrates USC's Big Ten basketball title after defeating UCLA on Saturday.
JuJu Watkins scored 30 points in USC's crosstown rivalry win over UCLA. (Ric Tapia/Getty Images)

No. 4 USC is taking over the Big Ten, claiming both the regular-season conference title and the Big Ten tournament’s No. 1 seed after Saturday's dominant 80-67 win over No. 2 UCLA.

To book their first conference title since 1994, the Trojans looked to star sophomore JuJu Watkins, who posted 30 points against the Bruins — 23 of them in the first half alone.

Meanwhile, the Trojan defense stifled UCLA standouts like guard Kiki Rice and center Lauren Betts, limiting them to just 16 and 11 points, respectively.

For most of the 2024/25 NCAA basketball campaign, UCLA has outranked USC. However, the Trojans have comfortably owned the pair's head-to-head competition, handing the Bruins their only two losses on the season.

USC's four-game winning streak against UCLA dates back to last season. Subsequently, Watkins has scored at least 30 points in each of those Trojan victories. She finishes the 2024/25 regular season with an impressive 68 points in USC's two wins over the Bruins.

"I think I would be remiss to say playing UCLA doesn't motivate me extra," a smiling Watkins said after Saturday's regular-season finale.

"She's 19 years old. Her talent is off the charts," USC head coach Lindsey Gottlieb said about the likely National Player of the Year frontrunner. "But it's her humility and the stuff you can't teach, the inner drive."

Watkins helps USC book Big Ten tournament bye

The Trojans are riding high into this week's Big Ten basketball tournament, which tips off in Indianapolis on Wednesday and will ultimately determine the team who'll book the conference's lone automatic bid into March Madness.

As the conference's top seeds, both USC and UCLA earned byes through the 15-team competition's first two rounds, meaning they will begin their tournament campaigns in Friday's quarterfinals.

Should both live up to their seedings, the duo will meet again in Sunday's championship game, where both Big Ten hardware and the NCAA tournament's top seeds will be on the line.

UCLA's Janiah Barker fouls a shot from USC's JuJu Watkins during their Saturday game.
USC and UCLA could meet in Sunday's Big Ten final. (Keith Birmingham/MediaNews Group/Pasadena Star-News via Getty Images)

How to watch USC in the Big Ten basketball tournament

The Big Ten basketball tournament's 14 games will air across three broadcasters, with Peacock covering Wednesday's opening round.

Rounds will air live on BTN Thursday through Saturday, before CBS hosts Sunday's 4:30 PM ET Big Ten championship game.

Conferences Set Tournament Brackets with NCAA Seeding on the Line

MiLaysia Fulwiley lays up a shot during South Carolina's 2024/25 NCAA basketball regular-season finale win over Kentucky.
MiLaysia Fulwiley helped South Carolina secure the 2024/25 SEC basketball tournament’s No. 1 seed. (Jacob Kupferman/Getty Images)

The weekend’s NCAA basketball action saw the field settle into their conference tournament seeds — and pick up some 2024/25 regular-season hardware along the way.

With Sunday wins over unranked Florida and No. 15 Kentucky, respectively, No. 1 Texas and No. 6 South Carolina finished regular-season play tied atop the SEC table, prompting a coin flip that saw the Gamecocks claim the conference tournament’s No. 1 seed.

No. 3 Notre Dame and No. 9 NC State similarly split regular-season honors in the ACC after Sunday victories over No. 25 Louisville and unranked SMU. With a head-to-head victory over the Irish last month, however, NC State exits the regular season as the conference’s No. 1 seed.

LSU star Flau'jae Johnson runs up the court during a 2024/25 NCAA basketball game.
With star Flau'jae Johnson sidelined with injury, No. 7 LSU suffered an upset loss to Ole Miss on Sunday. (Jacob Kupferman/Getty Images)

Upsets shake up projected 2024/25 NCAA tournament seeds

Buoyed by this season's surging parity, half of the teams featured in the NCAA’s most recent Top 16 seeding projections have lost at least one game since last week’s rankings update.

Following the trend this weekend were six AP Top 25 teams, as Big Ten standouts No. 2 UCLA and No. 12 Ohio State fell to lower-ranked conference foes, while No. 7 LSU, No. 8 UNC, No. 11 Tennessee, and No. 14 Kansas State all stumbled at the regular-season finish line with Sunday losses against unranked opponents.

Last week's setbacks could put top teams like UCLA and Notre Dame in jeopardy of losing their projected NCAA tournament No. 1 seeds.

As a result, elite squads must now bank on strong conference tournament performances to bolster their regular-season records.

Boosted by their first-ever Big 12 regular-season championship, No. 10 TCU could now push past the SEC's Flau’jae Johnson-less LSU in the NCAA tournament committee's rankings, thanks in part to the Tigers’ Sunday upset loss to unranked Ole Miss on Sunday.

Similarly, Big Ten No. 3-seed Ohio State will have to use the conference tournament to bolster their prospects after Sunday’s overtime loss to No. 19 Maryland.

With parity-fueled upsets raising this week's stakes, most major Division I tournaments will tip off on Wednesday, as both conference hardware and national tournament odds hang in the balance.

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