Last fall, just before official practices began for college basketball, the NCAA announced that all winter sport student-athletes who competed during 2020-2021 would get an extra season of eligibility due to COVID-19. 

The same benefit that had already been extended to fall and spring sport student-athletes was now being offered to winter sports as they endeavored to conduct a season of competition amidst the ongoing pandemic, where positive Covid tests, quarantine periods, and game cancelations would have otherwise wreaked havoc on a school’s ability to maximize and protect their student-athletes’ eligibility. In essence, no one was a senior last season, unless they wanted to be. While many women’s college hoops players chose not to take advantage of the NCAA’s offering and moved on to their careers or playing in the WNBA or overseas, a number of athletes decided to stay. 

Now a number of Top 25 programs are set to benefit from an extra year of super senior talent, including last year’s national champion. 

Anna Wilson – Stanford

Anna Wilson is one of the top perimeter defenders in the country. In 2020-2021, she started all 33 games and earned Pac-12 Co-Defensive Player of the Year and Pac-12 All-Defensive Team honors for the eventual national champions, who enter 2021 ranked No. 3 in the country.

Stanford’s Anna Wilson has 10 PTS on 4-4 FG and 3 STL in the first half

Her brother, Russell Wilson, is in the @ncaawbb bubble to cheer her on ✊pic.twitter.com/EDGGh4UTg0

— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) March 28, 2021

Known as a gritty and selfless teammate, the 24-year-old graduate student turned her focus to defense after a concussion and stress fractures in her freshman year left her feeling out of rhythm on the offensive end. Now head coach Tara VanDerveer can’t fathom doing a scout without her. 

“Anna has basically forced my hand,” VanDerveer told USA TODAY. “I don’t have any choice: If there’s someone that we need to lock down, she has to be out there.” 

A few of Wilson’s biggest potential defensive assignments are already on the calendar, including Maryland’s Ashley Owusu on November 27th and a Final Four re-match vs. South Carolina’s Zia Cooke on December 21st.  Luckily for the winningest women’s basketball coach of all-time, she’ll have Wilson in her line-up for another year, not to mention a third senior day, as the Cardinal look to defend their national title. 

Raina Perez, Kayla Jones, and Kai Crutchfield – NC State

NC State has three starters returning to the court via the NCAA bonus year. Raina Perez came to the Pack last year as a grad transfer from Cal State Fullerton, where she earned Big West Player of the Year honors in 2020. She started at point guard for NC State in all but two games last season and averaged 9.5 points and 4.7 assists per game for a program that ranked in the top five throughout much of the season. 

Forward Kayla Jones is also back for what will be her fifth straight season on the court for NC State. As a starter for the past two full seasons, Jones has averaged 10.8 points, 7.1 rebounds, and 2.6 assists per game for the Pack.

RAINA PEREZ! ICE COLD! 🐺🧊#ACCWBB pic.twitter.com/6IjJV4CCND

— ACC Digital Network (@theACCDN) March 7, 2021

The third returning super senior, Kai Crutchfield, led the team in steals, 3-point shooting percentage, and free throw percentage last season. 

These three starters will be joined on the court by ESPN All-American Elissa Cunane and junior Jakia Brown-Turner, who averaged 13.5 points last year. Together, they have NC State ranked No. 5 in the AP’s preseason poll. 

Que Morrison and Jenna Staiti – Georgia

A valuable weapon on both ends of the court, Que Morrison received 2021 SEC Co-Defensive Player of the Year and SEC All-Defensive Team honors while being the Bulldogs’ second leading scorer with 11.6 points per game. Morrison also led the team in assists, with 3.5 per game. 

Now, she’s back for more alongside fellow super senior Jenna Staiti, who led the team in scoring (14.8) and rebounding (8.1) last season.

The 2021 @SEC Defensive Player of the Year, Que Morrison, and the SEC's blocked shots leader for 2020-21, Jenna Staiti, have each earned a spot on the Preseason All-SEC Second Team! #BringYourBest | #GoDawgs pic.twitter.com/76VzVG0c5Z

— Georgia Basketball 🏀🐶 (@UGA_WBB) October 26, 2021

Georgia went 21-7 last year, rounding out the top ten in the AP end-of-year rankings. They enter this season ranked No. 26. Expect Morrision and Staiti to lead them back into the Top 25. 

Elsewhere:

At Texas A&M, guard Kayla Wells, who owns the school’s all-time career 3-point field goal percentage record (36.9%) is returning for her extra year. 

Ohio State’s Braxtin Miller will continue to bring veteran leadership to the court coming off a year where she averaged 11.5 points per game and was second on the team in steals and assists. 

Missouri Valley Conference Player of the Year Brice Chalip is returning to Missouri State after averaging 13.3 points, 4.9 rebounds, 4.1 assists and 2.2 steals per game last season. 

Kim Mulkey’s inaugural year at LSU will be boosted by the return of Khayla Pointer, who led the team last year in scoring, steals, and assists. 

And Bethy Mununga, who hails from Belgium and came up through the junior college ranks, will use her bonus year by returning to South Florida, where she earned ACC All-Conference honors and averaged 9.6 points and 12.9 (!) rebounds last season.

Looking ahead: 

Though Covid-19 has been a “gift that keeps on giving” in the sardonic sense of the phrase, one positive for college sports fans is the extended collegiate careers its provided to many deserving athletes. The effect will continue to ripple into seasons ahead as all student-athletes, not just seniors, who played during the designated season were granted the extra year. 

While their track record of supporting and promoting the women’s basketball tournament continues to receive scrutiny, it’s nice to see an example of the NCAA doing the right thing for its players. 

Two key upsets headlined Thursday's WNBA bill, sending the Phoenix Mercury soaring into third place in the league standings while the No. 6 Golden State Valkyries continued to outwit opponents.

The red-hot Mercury snagged their fourth straight win by taking down the No. 2 New York Liberty 89-81 on Thursday night, overcoming an 35-point performance from two-time MVP Breanna Stewart with five double-digit Phoenix scorers.

Meanwhile out West, the Valkyries stifled a surging No. 7 Fever, downing Indiana 88-77 in part by holding star guard Caitlin Clark to just 3-for-14 from the field — and 0-for-7 from behind the arc.

"We were being disruptive, we know that she doesn't like physicality, we know that she wants to get to that left step-back," Golden State head coach Natalie Nakase said about the Valkyries' strategy to effectively contain Clark.

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Though the No. 1 Minnesota Lynx and 2024 WNBA champions New York still hold court atop the table, Thursday's actions proves that other squads are making some unexpected in-roads.

Putting together an impressive road record are the Mercury, who will ride a 4-2 away record into their Saturday matchup against the No. 11 Chicago Sky — the last stop on a four-game road trip that's been perfect for Phoenix thus far.

Already flipping the script on expectations is Golden State, with the 2025 expansion team rising despite relying on a hodgepodge roster as several players compete at EuroBasket 2025. The Valkyries will aim to keep their winning momentum in their Sunday clash with the No. 12 Connecticut Sun.

How to watch the Mercury, Valkyries this weekend

Both of Thursday's victors will be back in action this weekend, with Phoenix facing Chicago at 1 PM ET on Saturday, airing live on ABC.

Then on Sunday, Golden State will host Connecticut at 8:30 PM ET, with live coverage on WNBA League Pass.

In another weekend full of WNBA action, all eyes are on Las Vegas, as the No. 8 Aces will try to curb a two-game losing streak against two formidable opponents.

A successful weekend for Las Vegas could hinge on three-time WNBA MVP A'ja Wilson's potential return from injury, with the star forward recently upgraded to "questionable" after landing in concussion protocol last week.

Overall, the margin for error has narrowed in the middle of the WNBA pack, as talented teams continue to translate quality performances into consistency.

• No. 5 Seattle Storm vs. No. 8 Las Vegas Aces, Friday at 10 PM ET (ION): The Aces will try to end their free fall in Friday's head-to-head battle with a Seattle side that can beat anybody at their best.

• No. 7 Indiana Fever vs. No. 8 Las Vegas Aces, Sunday at 3 PM ET (ESPN): Las Vegas next faces a Fever team still smarting from Thursday's away loss to the Golden State Valkyries, with both teams narrowly clinging to positions above the playoff line.

• No. 2 New York Liberty vs. No. 5 Seattle Storm, Sunday at 7 PM ET (WNBA League Pass): The Liberty have a comfortable hold on second place, but with two losses in their last three games, New York is flirting with danger entering their Sunday game with Seattle — particularly if star big Jonquel Jones is out after suffering a knock to the ankle on Thursday.

Ultimately, there's no rest for the weary in the WNBA, as a series of difficult matchups can see a single error quickly slide into a losing streak.

The final NWSL weekend heading into the league's six-week summer break has arrived, giving teams one more chance to prove themselves before regular-season play pauses to make way for major international tournaments.

With a five-point gap separating No. 1 Kansas City from No. 2 Orlando in the NWSL standings, the Current will enter the break as the 2025 Shield frontrunners regardless of this weekend's results.

Despite Kansas City's grip atop the table, there's still plenty of room for movement both above and below the postseason cutoff line, as clubs across the NWSL look to wrap their midseason finales on a high note:

• No. 1 Kansas City Current vs. No. 10 Angel City FC, Friday at 8 PM ET (Prime): Angel City has a shot at launching themselves above the cutoff line on Friday, but they'll have to snap the Current's five-game winning streak to make it happen.

• No. 8 Gotham FC vs. No. 9 Bay FC, Saturday at 7:30 PM ET (ION): Gotham and Bay FC enter the weekend tied on points while staring at each other from on opposite sides of the playoff line — meaning a Saturday win for either club could set the tone for the rest of the 2025 season.

• No. 3 San Diego Wave FC vs. No. 4 Washington Spirit, Sunday at 10 PM ET (CBS Sports): The weekend's only top-table clash could see San Diego sprint back into second place — unless Washington leapfrogs the upstart Wave to claim the third-place spot.

The LPGA Tour has turned its attention to Texas, with the 2025 KPMG Women's PGA Championship — the third major of the pro golf season — teeing off in Frisco to a flurry of first-round action on Thursday.

All of the sport's Top 100 athletes are participating in this week's event, including No. 1 Nelly Korda, who sits in a 14th-place tie with an even-par first-round performance, and surging US dark horse No. 50 Lexi Thompson, who tied for 10th in her Thursday return from a brief retirement.

However, leading the pack heading into Friday's second round is Thailand's world No. 2 Jeeno Thitikul, who finished the first day of competition atop the leaderboard with a score of 4-under-par.

Australia's No. 24 Minjee Lee also posted a strong start, capping Thursday at 3-under to sit in second place.

While the sport's best chase victory on the links, the 2025 KPMG Women's PGA Championship is already making history off the green.

Not only is it the first-ever women's major to tee off at Frisco's Fields Ranch East, the tournament also increased its purse to $12 million on Tuesday — nearly tripling the $4.5 million prize pool from just four years ago and tying the US Women's Open for the LPGA Tour's highest payout in the process.

How to watch the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship

The third LPGA Grand Slam of 2025 continues through Sunday.

Friday's second round will air live on the Golf Channel, while coverage of Saturday and Sunday's final rounds will air across NBC and Peacock.