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Ten teams that have my attention in women’s college basketball

Arizona’s Lauren Ware shoots over Marist defenders during a win last Friday. (Christopher Hook/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

We’re two weeks into the season, and women’s college basketball has already seen overtime, upsets and reshuffling of rankings. There is a lot to unpack from this early slate of games, so here are 10 teams that have my attention, for better or for worse.

Texas

The Longhorns started the season ranked 25th in the AP poll, and I didn’t even have them in my JWS preseason rankings. When they topped then-No. 3 Stanford 61-56 on Nov. 14, it came as a shock. But should it have?

Texas’ 131-36 victory over New Orleans five days earlier should have been an indication that Texas could make some noise this season. No, New Orleans isn’t Stanford. And yes, it is a team the Longhorns should have beaten up on, but regardless of the opponent, out-scoring another team by nearly 100 points is a hugely impressive feat. That lopsided victory was our first look at the pace and intensity at which Texas plays.

JWS basketball analyst Rachel Galligan said she had a chance to watch Texas practice in October and was floored by the team’s pace, even in a non-game setting. The Longhorns ran all over Stanford in the upset win, showcasing a style of play that’s going to wreak havoc on a lot of teams before the season is through. The game also served as a great introduction to freshman Rori Harmon, who scored 17 points and fits perfectly into the Longhorns’ up-tempo style, and a reintroduction to Mississippi State transfer Aliyah Matharu, who had 17 points in the fourth quarter alone.

Tennessee

I quite literally finished typing the above section, and then watched as Tennessee defeated Texas 74-40 in overtime on Sunday. The Vols have a lot of fight, and a lot of talent. They entered the season ranked 15th in the AP poll, a spot they wouldn’t have earned without standout player Rae Burrell. So when Burrell went down with what seems like a serious injury (she’s out indefinitely, and the only information Tennessee has given is that it’s not an ACL), it was fair to wonder if they were destined for a subpar season.

Instead, Tennessee proved it’s much more than just Burrell. Tamari Key was on another level against Texas, recording a triple-double with 10 points, 18 rebounds and 10 blocks. Meanwhile, Jordan Horston had a double-double with 28 points and 15 rebounds. The Vols are a complete team, and if Burrell comes back, they will be even better. Her absence gives other players a chance to find themselves and develop confidence that will be valuable when she’s healthy once more.

Stanford

Should the defending champs be concerned? Maybe, and maybe not. Against Texas, the Cardinal clearly missed Kiana Williams, their point guard last season. Texas’ intense pressure flustered Stanford into committing 20 turnovers. The loss showed that Stanford has to adjust to life without Williams, and if they don’t, fly-around defense could be the key to defeating the Cardinal this season.

Stanford had similar difficulties at times against another defensive-minded team in unranked Gonzaga on Sunday, but they were without Haley Jones — for unknown reasons — in that contest. Stanford showed resilience in a tough road environment, rallying from being down 13 at one point to top the Zags 66-62 in a game that went down to the wire. A Nov. 25 matchup with a very poised Indiana squad will be the next big test for Stanford.

Arizona

The Wildcats are another team that started the season under-ranked, at No. 23 in the AP poll. But when they upset No. 6 Louisville 61-59 in overtime on Nov. 12, they proved that Arizona in the post-Aari McDonald era is going to be just fine.

Arizona has a new identity, and it’s all about defense. That’s not too different from last season, but the scoring prowess of McDonald got the most attention (for obvious reasons). The Wildcats made Louisville work for every possession, holding the Cardinals to 28.2 percent shooting and 18.2 percent from 3. Their defensive pressure helped them stay in control, even when their offense was struggling at the start. The Wildcats forced Louisville into 17 turnovers but committed the same number themselves.

Still, there were bright spots on the offensive end. Cate Reese recorded 21 points, making all six of her free throws and shooting 3 of 5 from beyond the arc. Ariyah Copeland, a transfer from Alabama, proved to be a welcome addition in the paint. She scored just eight points, but each bucket was timely and the comfort she showed in Arizona’s system and flow of the game tells me there is more where that came from.

Louisville

That brings me to a Louisville team that’s had an inconsistent start after beginning the season ranked No. 6 in the AP poll. Losing to Arizona isn’t a bad upset in my opinion, given the Wildcats are clearly better than their ranking showed at the time. But Louisville has some things to work out. Against Arizona, the Cardinals showed their youth, often getting flustered in high-intensity situations, committing turnovers or taking ill-advised shots.

Later in the week, the Cardinals found themselves up 16 entering the fourth quarter against unranked Washington, before seemingly taking their foot off the gas and allowing the Huskies to get within three points. The Cardinals figured things out and ended up winning 61-53, but once again, they struggled at the 3-point line, going 2-for-10. They did clean up their turnovers against Washington, committing only nine. All that said, a semi-bumpy start isn’t unexpected for Louisville, and Cardinals fans shouldn’t be too concerned. This is a young squad that still needs to figure out who it is without Dana Evans, a consistent and experienced playmaker last season who led her team with 20.1 points per game.

Kentucky

After an up-and-down 2020-21 season, I thought Kentucky would have made more progress in coach Kyra Elzy’s second year at the helm. And while no squad will have everything figured out just two weeks into the season, Kentucky’s loss to Indiana was pretty telling.

Rhyne Howard is arguably the best scorer in the NCAA, and yet at times, the Wildcats don’t seem to know it. She still scored 23 points in the loss, and good teams need to have balance, but there are stretches where she is taken completely out of the offense in favor of an ill-advised shot or another playing taking over. She’s the kind of player who should be touching the ball on every possession. If the Wildcats consistently play through her, the rest of the offense should follow and other players will find success.

Losing to a top-10 team isn’t the end of the world, however, and Kentucky has plenty of time to get back on track. A matchup with No. 22 West Virginia on Dec. 1, followed by a game against No. 10 Louisville on Dec. 12, should give us a better idea of where the Wildcats stand.

Indiana

The Hoosiers are the most cohesive team I’ve seen so far this season. On both ends of the floor, each player seems to know exactly where every teammate will be at any given time. Mackenzie Holmes, a 6-foot-3 junior forward, is a force on offense and easily the best player on this squad. But Indiana has impressed me with its balance thus far. Through five games (including an exhibition), four Hoosiers have averaged double-figures, and they’ve had three different leading scorers in those games.

After the win over Kentucky, Indiana jumped up to No. 4 in the AP Poll, which might be too much, too soon. Kentucky, as I mentioned above, is an inconsistent team, and Indiana hasn’t played anyone else that can give us a baseline on which to judge its abilities. But that won’t last long. The Hoosiers are slated to play Stanford and NC State in the next two weeks, before diving into a tough Big Ten conference schedule. By the time their Dec. 2 game against the Wolfpack wraps up, we should know what kind of team Indiana really is.

South Carolina

So far, I haven’t seen anything to contradict South Carolina being the best team in the country. The Gamecocks have already defeated two top-10 teams in No. 5 NC State and No. 9 Oregon. This team has so much talent at every position. Against NC State, the guards led the charge, with Zia Cooke recording 17 points and Destanni Henderson finishing with 14. Later, when the Gamecocks topped Buffalo, it was all about post play as Aliyah Boston finished with 23 points and Kamilla Cardoso had a double-double (12 points, 10 rebounds), adding two blocks for good measure.

The Gamecocks will face the ultimate test in No. 2 UConn on Monday, in the championship game of the Battle 4 Atlantis. South Carolina certainly isn’t shying away from top-notch competition to start the season, something that can only be a benefit down the line.

UConn

That brings me to the Huskies. They faced their first true test against No. 23 South Florida on Sunday and answered the bell. The teams were tied entering the fourth quarter, but UConn outscored South Florida 15-8 in the final period to win 60-53. Freshman Azzi Fudd led the charge, scoring 18 points on six 3-pointers.

Fudd and Paige Bueckers (who had a career-high 34 points against Arkansas) are going to get a lot of attention this season, but it’s the play of Christyn Williams that should have UConn fans excited. She led the Huskies with 31 points on 12-for-14 shooting from the field in a victory over Minnesota, and through three games, she’s averaging 19.6 points per game. She seems to have turned into the player everyone thought she could be as the No. 1 recruit in 2018. With Williams playing at this level, UConn’s roster is hard to match.

Maryland

The Terrapins weathered a late-game comeback by No. 6 Baylor on Sunday to cement themselves as one of the best teams in the country. The most impressive part? They did it without Diamond Miller, who played a few minutes before leaving the game with the same knee injury that kept her out to start the season. The Terrapins had a balanced effort in the win, led by Ashley Owusu’s 24 points, six assists and four rebounds. Angel Reese had 17 points, Chloe Bibby had 16 and Mimi Collins finished with 10. Freshman guard Shyanne Sellers was also impressive, doing a little bit of everything with seven points, six rebounds and three assists.

If Maryland is this good without Miller, imagine what the Terrapins will do when she’s healthy. They did give up a double-double to NaLyssa Smith (30 points, 15 rebounds), but that says more about the skills of Smith than anything negative about Maryland.

JWS’ Top 25 in Week 3

  1. South Carolina (5-0)
  2. UConn (3-0)
  3. Maryland (6-0)
  4. Iowa (4-0)
  5. NC State (4-1)
  6. Stanford (3-1)
  7. Indiana (4-0)
  8. Baylor (3-1)
  9. Arizona (4-0)
  10. Louisville (3-1)
  11. Texas (3-1)
  12. Tennessee (4-0)
  13. Michigan (4-0)
  14. Ohio State (3-0)
  15. Iowa State (4-0)
  16. Oregon State (3-0)
  17. Florida State (4-0)
  18. Georgia Tech (4-1)
  19. UCLA (3-0)
  20. Kentucky (3-1)
  21. Virginia Tech (5-0)
  22. South Florida (3-2)
  23. West Virginia (3-0)
  24. Florida Gulf Coast (5-0)
  25. Texas A&M (4-0)

Eden Laase is a contributing writer at Just Women’s Sports. She previously ran her own high school sports website in Michigan after covering college hockey and interning at Sports Illustrated. Follow her on Twitter @eden_laase.

PWHL Unveils All-New Uniforms Ahead of 2024/25 Season

PWHL players pose on the ice while wearing new women's hockey uniforms.
The PWHL unveiled new branding ahead of the league's second season. (Bauer/PWHL)

The PWHL unveiled all-new uniforms for its six founding teams on Thursday, after a long process that saw players competing under generic names and logos for the duration of the league's inaugural season.

Bauer — the PWHL's exclusive game and replica home jersey provider — is the sportswear company behind the uniforms. The league also worked closely with creative agency Flower Shop to refine each team's jersey design and branding.

PWHL hockey jerseys hanging against a blue and grey brick wall.
Each team's jersey design incorporates elements unique to the club's identity. (Bauer/PWHL)

Bauer Hockey takes the lead in PWHL jersey production

"We're proud to be the official game and replica jersey partner for the PWHL, as a next step in our long-standing commitment to girls and women’s hockey," said Mary-Kay Messier, Bauer Hockey's VP of global marketing, in Thursday's PWHL press release. "We are honored to celebrate the players, outfitting them with authentic on-ice jerseys. We are equally excited to celebrate the fans, providing premium-crafted replica jerseys so they can show their passion and support for their favorite PWHL team."

Each team's jersey incorporates elements unique to the club's regional and brand identity. Accordingly, the Minnesota Frost's uniform "embraces the chill" with a deep purple and white motif, "capturing the sharpness of the frozen landscape." Meanwhile, the Boston Fleet's jersey draws on alternating colored stripes, resulting in a "wave-like pattern that evokes a strong connection to the sea."

"Working alongside the team at Bauer, we put thought behind every color, every stitch, every fabric choice — every element— to ensure these uniforms are of the highest quality," added Jayna Hefford, PWHL SVP of hockey operations. "From the design process to final production, we aimed to create uniforms that not only reflect the spirit of each team but also deliver top-tier performance and comfort for our athletes."

Minnesota Frost player models new purple PWHL jersey.
The Frost's new jersey design is meant to evoke Minnesota's cold winters. (Grace Zumwinkle/Minnesota Frost)

PWHL brings home replica jerseys to fans

"Players and fans alike have been waiting for this moment and we couldn't be happier with the six unique looks each team will don moving forward," said PWHL SVP of business operations Amy Scheer. "These jerseys mark the latest evolution in our league's history, and we can't wait to see them showcased both on the ice and in the stands."

Fans can now purchase home replica jerseys online at the Official PWHL Shop, with key retailers following on November 14th. Replica jerseys will also be available at all home games when the season kicks off on November 30th.

Olympic Bronze Medalist Sammy Sullivan Talks Team USA Rugby on ‘The Late Sub’

Sammy Sullivan of Team USA rugby celebrates during a game at the 2024 Paris Olympics.
Rugby star Sammy Sullivan won Olympic bronze in Paris as a part of Team USA. (Hannah Peters/Getty Images)

In today’s episode of The Late Sub, host Claire Watkins breaks down the ins and outs of every NWSL quarterfinal, including who to keep on upset watch and what to expect tactically between the lines.

Then, Watkins sits down with 2024 Olympic bronze medalist rugby player Sammy Sullivan to chat about the future of rugby in the US. Sullivan digs into how she balances the rugby's newfound spotlight with the day-to-day grind of being a pro athlete, plus how fans can keep up with Team USA Rugby all year-round.

The Late Sub with Claire Watkins brings you the latest news and freshest takes in women’s sports. This is the weekly rundown you’ve been missing, covering the USWNT, NWSL, WNBA, college hoops, and whatever else is popping off in women’s sports each week. Special guest appearances with the biggest names in women’s sports make The Late Sub a must-listen for every fan. Follow Claire on X/Twitter @ScoutRipley and subscribe to the Just Women’s Sports newsletter for more.

Subscribe to The Late Sub to never miss an episode.

Lynx Rookie Alissa Pili Stars in Latest Nike N7 Campaign

Lynx forward Alissa Pili wears the Nike N7 Collection.
This year's N7 Collection celebrates Indigenous culture. (Nike Basketball)

Minnesota Lynx forward Alissa Pili is the official face of Nike's Native American Heritage Month-inspired N7 Collection, the brand announced on Thursday.

Created in partnership with young Indigenous designer Chelysa "Chief" Owens-Cyr, Canada, the campaign "celebrates Indigenous culture and its interconnectedness with nature while helping preserve and showcase Native traditions for generations to come."

WNBA rookie Alissa Pili poses in Nike N7 gear holding a basketball.
Lynx forward Alissa Pili is both Samoan and Indigenous Alaskan. (Nike Basketball)

Pili signed Nike N7 contract in rookie WNBA season

Minnesota drafted Pili, who is of Samoan and Alaskan Iñupiat descent, as the No. 8 overall pick in the 2024 WNBA Draft.

No stranger to using her platform to encourage young Indigenous athletes, the Utah alum and 2023 Pac-12 Player of the Year inked her endorsement deal with Nike's N7 in June. The rookie signing was part of the sportswear giant's "commitment to uplifting Indigenous athletes and ensuring the next generation of Native youth see themselves represented."

At the time of her signing, Pili stated "I’m so honored to join the Nike Family as an N7 athlete. Representation is important to me, and I look forward to making an impact in the league and demonstrating to all the Indigenous and Polynesian girls who love the game that they can reach their dreams.”

Nike's new N7 Collection shorts in white with turquoise design.
Nike's 2024 N7 Collection includes Lakota-inspired designs. (Nike Basketball)

Lakota-inspired designs feature in Nike N7 Collection

This edition of the N7 Collection aims to empower and reinforce self-expression and includes clothing and exclusive turquoise colorways in both Nike Dunk and KD17 sneakers, now available online and at select retail locations.

Designer Chief chose geometric patterns reflecting Lakota teachings, saying "I want Native youth to feel represented, strengthened and empowered by this collection, which takes inspirations from what you’d historically see in beadwork or other traditional wear and applies it to modern, contemporary clothing."

"It's a good representation of my people to be able to share my culture and voice with not only Indigenous communities, but the whole world," Chief added. "The Lakota term I'd connect with it is 'Mitakuye Oyasin,' which means all my relations, we are all connected, we are one."

N7 Fund nonprofit grant applications now open

The N7 Collection release coincides with the opening of grant applications for Nike's N7 Fund, an initiative that invests in nonprofits elevating North America's Indigenous communities.

With $625,000 up for grabs since the N7 Fund grants began in 2022, nonprofit organizations can apply through January 6, 2025.

Upsets Rattle Early Season College Basketball as NCAA Tips Off

Florida State junior guard Ta'Niya Latson dribbles the ball up the court in an NCAA college basketball game.
Florida State junior Ta'Niya Latson scored 27 points in Thursday's loss. (G Fiume/Getty Images)

With NCAA basketball tipping off this week, early season upsets and hard-fought wins are already humbling some of college's top-ranked programs.

No. 19 Florida State fell to unranked Illinois 83-74 on Thursday despite 27 points from junior guard Ta'Niya Latson and a 22-point, 14-rebound double-double from senior forward Makayla Timpson. Behind 20-point performances from both Makira Cook and Adalia Mckenzie, the Fighting Illini took a 10-point first-quarter lead that they never relinquished.

Also on Thursday, No. 25 Indiana lost to unranked Harvard 72-68, with the Crimson dropping 21 first-quarter points to the Hoosiers' mere seven to put Indiana on their heels. The Big Ten squad mounted a comeback to force overtime, but between Harvard guard Harmoni Turner's 24 points and Indiana's 27 turnovers, the Ivy Leaguers took the win back to Cambridge.

Proving that ambitious non-conference schedules can be both risky and rewarding, No. 1 South Carolina, No. 3 USC, and No. 5 UCLA all narrowly fended off upsets in their respective season openers earlier this week.

Ultimately, even though recruitment and transfer opportunities can consolidate talent at the league's top, parity in college basketball has never been more widespread — and the 2024/25 competition's just starting.

Former South Carolina star Kamila Cardoso and NC State's Saniya Rivers tip off in a college basketball game at the 2024 NCAA Final Four semifinal.
NC State will try to avenge their 2024 Final Four loss to South Carolina on Sunday. (Ben Solomon/NCAA Photos via Getty Images)

Final Four rematch headlines NCAA weekend lineup

Continuing the non-conference drama this weekend will be Sunday's 2024 Final Four rematch between No. 1 South Carolina and No. 9 NC State.

Last April, the Gamecocks resoundingly defeated the Wolfpack 78-59 in their NCAA semifinal before finishing the 2023/24 season as undefeated national champions.

Former South Carolina transfer Saniya Rivers will once again star for the Wolfpack, though sophomore guard Zoe Brooks was NC State's leading scorer with 21 points in their season opener against East Tennessee State on Tuesday.

As for the Gamecocks, they relied on junior forward Chloe Kitts to lead the scoring in their 68-62 opening win over unranked Michigan on Monday. In narrow victory, the reigning champions trailed for all but 32 seconds of the first half. Of course, the struggle highlighted the fact that South Carolina is still figuring out how to respond to missing Chicago Sky rookie Kamila Cardoso in the paint.

Sunday will also feature another ranked matchup, as No. 11 Duke visits No. 18 Maryland. Though both teams enter the weekend undefeated, Duke faces a particularly tough non-conference schedule this season, capped by a December 5th date with South Carolina.

How to watch women's college basketball games this weekend

Duke and Maryland tip off Sunday's action at 1 PM ET, airing live on FS1. Then at 3 PM ET, South Carolina visits NC State, with live coverage on ESPN.

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