Six former Pitt women's basketball players came forward last week, filing a lawsuit against the University of Pittsburgh and the team's current head coach Tory Verdi on Friday.
The suit claims Verdi — who led Pitt to a 29-60 record since taking over the Panthers' sideline in April 2023 — employed abusive coaching practices, including making harassing remarks and threatening student-athlete careers on and off the court.
Additionally, the filing alleges that Verdi pressured players he no longer wanted on the team to enter the transfer portal, endangered their scholarships.
Players describe incidents including a practice session where Verdi reportedly split athletes based on their race, as well as alleged comments the coach made to the team including telling them, "Every night I lay in bed I want to kill myself because of you."
Some of the athletes reportedly contacted Pitt athletic department supervisors, with Friday's lawsuit claiming that the school ignored their complaints.
"These players aren’t soft," lawyer Keenan D. Holmes told the Associated Press this week. "But this went beyond basketball. It went beyond the bounds of common decency."
Arguing that Pitt violated their Title IX-protected civil rights, the players are seeking acknowledgment, academic record restoration, compensation, and punitive damages.
"The university is aware of these lawsuits and their allegations, which are without merit and will be vigorously defended," Pitt responded in a statement.
The 2026 Unrivaled 1v1 tournament has arrived, with the competition tipping off a fully refreshed bracket on Wednesday night — with $300,000 on the line.
With 2025 champion Napheesa Collier sidelined with injury, the 2026 tournament is led by No. 1 seeds Kelsey Mitchell (Hive BC), Paige Bueckers (Breeze BC), Allisha Gray (Mist BC), and Breanna Stewart (Mist BC).
Last year's runner-up Aaliyah Edwards (Lunar Owls) is also back in the mix for the three-day tournament, with Unrivaled rookies Bueckers, Sonia Citron (Hive BC), Saniya Rivers (Vinyl BC), and Dominique Malonga (Breeze BC) gearing up to make their 1v1 debuts.
Originally a 32-player field divided into four eight-player pods, the offseason league dropped a bracket update reflecting recent injuries late Tuesday night, with previously announced competitors Skylar Diggins (Lunar Owls), Jordin Canada (Laces BC), Kahleah Copper (Rose BC), and Rickea Jackson (Breeze BC) out for the now-28-player tournament.
As a result, four players — Rivers as well as Phantom BC's Kelsey Plum, Hive BC's Natisha Hiedeman, and Mist BC's Allisha Gray — received byes through to Friday's second round.
All games in the 2026 Unrivaled 1v1 tournament will run a maximum of 10 minutes or until a player reaches 11 points, with a seven-second shot clock and make-it, take-it possession.
Each knockout round will set the scene for Saturday's best-of-three final series, with the champion taking home $200,000, while the runner-up receives $50,000 and semifinalists cash in with $25,000 each.
Fans can also get in on the action by filling out their own 1v1 brackets.
How to watch the 2026 Unrivaled 1v1 tournament
The 1v1 tournament opens with all first round matchups on Wednesday, with the competition tipping off live at 7 PM ET on truTV and Max.
Once-unbeaten Vanderbilt basketball is back in the groove, as the No. 5 Commodores recorded a second straight ranked win on Monday by handing No. 10 Oklahoma an emphatic 102-86 loss.
The Vanderbilt offense exploded for 59 first-half points — the most allowed by the Sooners in any half this season — with the Commodores taking a 26-point second-quarter lead behind sophomore guard Mikayla Blakes's game-high 34 points, marking her third consecutive 30-point performance.
Also joining the Commodores' 30-point club on Monday was guard Aubrey Galvan, with the freshman joining Blakes to become the first Vanderbilt duo to do so in the same game since 1999.
"I'm really proud of them," Vanderbilt head coach Shea Ralph said afterwards. "What we're trying to do here is just be relentless in our quest to improve… so that we can put ourselves in position not only to win, but ultimately to be the best possible team we can be at the right time."
The Dores' defense also stepped up on Monday as Vanderbilt scored 26 points off turnovers, holding Oklahoma star freshman Aaliyah Chavez to just 14 points on the night — and 0-11 from deep.
Meanwhile, 19 points and 11 rebounds from Sooner center Raegan Beers — her 62nd career double-double — wasn't enough to move the needle as the senior fouled out with 4:26 to go off a season-high six turnovers.
Falling to 5-5 in the SEC basketball standings, Oklahoma will look to make up ground with just six games and two Top 25 opponents left on their 2025/26 regular-season docket.
How to watch Vanderbilt basketball this week
Though the No. 5 Commodores will contend with four ranked teams in their final five regular-season games, Vanderbilt's biggest test left is a Top 5 matchup against No. 4 Texas on Thursday.
The Dores will host the Longhorns at 7:30 PM ET, with live coverage airing on SEC Network+.
Duke is racing up the NCAA women's basketball Top 25, rising six spots to No. 11 in Monday's AP Poll after extending their winning streak to 15 games.
Buoyed by Thursday's upset win over No. 9 Louisville, the Blue Devils also claimed the ACC's top spot last week, climbing the conference standings after flipping the script on what was a concerning 3-6 season start.
"Now we're just locked in on getting better," Duke head coach Kara Lawson said, after the Blue Devils turned their early-season struggles into one of the NCAA's hottest runs. "In my experience, when you do that consistently, you get consistent results."
Elsewhere in Monday's AP Poll, UConn remained the unanimous No. 1, tallying all 31 first-place votes after a week that saw the Huskies defeat DePaul by 46 points and Butler by 32.
UConn has now won 20 straight games by at least 25 points — the longest 25-point margin-of-victory streak by any Division I team in more than 25 years.
No. 2 UCLA, No. 3 South Carolina, and No. 4 Texas also held steady behind the Huskies, with the Bruins remaining undefeated in Big Ten play after eking out a narrow win over No. 7 Michigan on Sunday.
On the other hand, No. 15 Iowa experienced the poll's biggest stumble, dropping five spots after suffering a three-game losing streak.
How to watch Duke basketball in action
The No. 11 Blue Devils will next face in-state rival No. 21 UNC, with the Tar Heels visiting Durham at 1 PM ET on Sunday, airing live on ABC.
2025/26 AP Top 25 Women's College Basketball Poll: Week 14
1. UConn (25-0, Big East)
2. UCLA (23-1, Big Ten)
3. South Carolina (24-2, SEC)
4. Texas (23-2, SEC)
5. Vanderbilt (23-2, SEC)
6. LSU (22-3, SEC)
7. Michigan (20-4, Big Ten)
8. Ohio State (22-3, Big Ten)
9. Louisville (22-4, ACC)
10. Oklahoma (17-6, SEC)
11. Duke (18-6, ACC)
12. Baylor (21-4, Big 12)
13. Michigan State (20-4, Big Ten)
14. Ole Miss (19-5, SEC)
15. Iowa (18-5, Big Ten)
16. Texas Tech (22-3, Big 12)
17. TCU (21-4, Big 12)
18. Kentucky (18-7, SEC)
19. West Virginia (20-5, Big 12)
20. Maryland (19-6, Big Ten)
21. North Carolina (20-5, ACC)
22. Tennessee (15-6, SEC)
23. Alabama (20-5, SEC)
24. Princeton (19-2, Ivy)
25. Washington (18-6, Big Ten)
The WNBA made a collective bargaining move on Friday, with sources telling ESPN that the league submitted a new CBA proposal more than six weeks after the WNBPA's most recent counteroffer.
The proposal reportedly features updated housing provisions granting both minimum salary and rookie players one-bedroom apartments while developmental players get studios for the first three years of the WNBA CBA.
The news follows last week's in-person sit-down between WNBA leadership and union reps — including WNBPA president Nneka Ogwumike (Seattle Storm) and first VP Kelsey Plum (LA Sparks), as well as fellow VPs Alysha Clark (Washington Mystics) and Breanna Stewart (New York Liberty).
Revenue sharing, however, remains a wedge issue for the players' union — one that Friday's WNBA offer apparently doesn't address — with athletes requesting 30% of gross revenue while the league has instead offered 70% of net revenue after deducting upgraded travel and facility expenses.
The impasse could ultimately delay the 2026 WNBA season — set to open in May — as well as both expansion and rookie drafts.
Plus, the ongoing CBA talks are keeping an historic free agency period on indefinite hold — one that impacts 80% of current players.
“We made the point that once we nail [revenue sharing], we can get everything else done," Ogwumike said.
The No. 2 UCLA Bruins narrowly avoided an upset on Sunday, surviving No. 8 Michigan 69-66 to extend their winning streak to 17 straight games — and strengthen their grip atop the 2025/26 Big Ten basketball table.
UCLA center Lauren Betts ran the court with 16 points, 16 rebounds, and five assists, while guard Kiki Rice put up a team-leading 20 points in the win.
Despite 16 forced turnovers and a strong fourth-quarter rally, Michigan sophomore guard Syla Swords air-balled a potentially game-tying buzzer-beater to seal the deal.
The Bruins haven't dropped a game since a late November loss to No. 4 Texas, as UCLA's size advantage — namely 6-foot-7 Betts and 6-foot-4 Angela Dugalić, who post a combined 13.3 rebounds per game — continues to wear down opponents.
"[The Wolverines] were playing really aggressively with us, so I was like, 'Why don't we do the same thing back?'" Betts said on Sunday. "Once we started rebounding and locking in on taking away their best players… that was just really important for us."
How to watch UCLA, Michigan in this week's NCAA basketball action
No. 2 UCLA will visit No. 12 Michigan State at 8 PM ET on Wednesday, before No. 8 Michigan hunts a bounce-back win against unranked Northwestern at 9 PM ET on Thursday.
Both Big Ten games will air live on Peacock.
The 2025/26 Big Ten basketball regular-season title could boil down to Sunday, when the No. 2 UCLA Bruins visit No. 8 Michigan with just a one-game conference advantage over the Wolverines.
UCLA has only dropped one game this season — November's nonconference loss to No. 4 Texas — while Michigan's lone Big Ten loss came via a New Year's Day upset at the hands of No. 24 Washington.
"We know we're at the point where we want better and we want more," said sophomore guard Syla Swords after leading the Wolverines to a program-best 11-1 Big Ten start. "We want to improve and there's multiple areas which we need to be better if we want to reach the heights that we plan to."
Coming off a 2025 Final Four run, the Bruins land in Ann Arbor with big-game pedigree, while scrappy Michigan pushes for a first-ever Big Ten title.
"They're different than everyone else because of their size," Michigan head coach Kim Barnes Arico said of UCLA. "Then the other thing about them is their experience. Their guard play is so experienced."
"This is why I came here," Barnes Arico continued. "I said, 'I'm going to leave everything I know on the East Coast to come to the University of Michigan because I believe that's a place where we can win a championship.'"
How to watch UCLA vs. Michigan basketball this weekend
No. 8 Michigan will host No. 2 UCLA at 3 PM ET on Sunday, with live coverage airing on FOX.
The ACC women's basketball title race is heating up, as No. 17 Duke earned a one-game conference lead by upsetting No. 6 Louisville 59-58 on Thursday night.
The Blue Devils' defense clinched the win while Duke sophomore forward Toby Fournier led all scorers with 15 points and nine rebounds on the night — with a missed free throw from Louisville sophomore guard Imari Berry sealing the deal in the game's final seconds.
"They were physical and we shied away a little bit from it instead of just going into them and drawing fouls," Cardinal senior forward Laura Ziegler said postgame.
After a slow season start, Duke has blazed through the ACC, with the Blue Devils now riding a 14-game winning streak to an undefeated conference record.
As for the Cardinals, Thursday's loss broke Louisville's own 14-game winning streak just days after the team reached their highest AP Poll ranking in four years.
That said, Louisville has an arguably lighter slate across their final six regular-season games than the Blue Devils, with the Cards fiercest foe coming from their Sunday clash with ACC third-place team Syracuse.
Meanwhile, Duke's final docket includes intrastate foe and fourth-place ACC squad NC State, as well as a pair of games against rival No. 25 UNC — though the Blue Devils are banking on ending on an upswing.
"Our goal has always been to be the team that grows the most during the season," said Duke head coach Kara Lawson. "And if each individual buys into that and the team buys into that, we will like where we are at the end of the year."
How to watch Duke and Louisville in ACC basketball action this weekend
Both Louisville and Duke will continue their ACC schedules on Sunday, with the No. 6 Cardinals taking on Syracuse at 12 PM ET before the No. 17 Blue Devils host SMU at 2 PM ET.
Both conference clashes will air live on The CW.
No. 4 Texas defeated No. 5 LSU 77-64 on Thursday, as the Longhorns emerged victorious from the highly anticipated LSU vs Texas rematch at Moody Center.
Texas avenged their earlier 70-65 loss in Baton Rouge, while extending their home winning streak to 39 games — tied with TCU for the longest active streak in the nation.
Star forward Madison Booker led Texas with 18 points., while freshman Aaliyah Crump added 16 off the bench. The LSU vs Texas matchup got decisive in the fourth quarter with a 10-0 Texas run, as center Kyla Oldacre tallied six straight points to start the period to push the Longhorns' lead to 15 points with 5:01 remaining.
The LSU vs Texas game later turned historic, as senior guard Rori Harmon recorded six steals to become the program's all-time steals leader. She now has 351 career steals, surpassing Linda Waggoner's 45-year-old record of 346, set in 1980.
Harmon simultaneously reached 1,500 career points last night, becoming the 21st player in Texas history to achieve the milestone. In November, the 23-year-old became Texas's all-time assists leader with 894.
Harmon secured the record-breaking steal in the third quarter, diving to the floor while fighting two LSU players for a loose ball. She smiled while holding the ball tightly, knowing she had made history.
The LSU vs Texas showdown proved a defensive battle, with the Longhorns holding the Tigers to just 64 points. The Tigers entered averaging 98.9 points per game — topping the NCAA — while tallying 12 games with 100-plus points. However, Texas limited LSU to 11 points in the fourth quarter.
The loss dropped the Tigers to 21-3 overall and 7-3 in SEC play, snapping a seven-game winning streak. Conversely, Texas improved to 22-2 and 7-2 in conference play.
WNBA leadership is on the clock, as the league's front office failed to produce a new proposal during Monday's in-person CBA meeting with the players union.
"They volunteered that they did not have a proposal prepared at the top of the meeting," WNBPA president Nneka Ogwumike told Front Office Sports on Monday. "That kind of set the tone for the conversation because we were hoping to hear otherwise."
Reports now indicate that the WNBA plans to officially respond to the union's December CBA proposal, though the timeline for the league to do so remains unclear.
Negotiations between the WNBA and WNBPA are currently at an impasse, as talks drag on months after the old contract's late-October expiration — and weeks past the double CBA deadline extensions — with a work stoppage still possible entering the 2026 season.
"After the meeting today, [a strike is] still on the table," WNBPA VP Alysha Clark told FOS on Monday.
However, the Washington Mystics forward also tempered the possibility of a work stoppage, adding "Until we get a response from the league about proposals, there's nothing that we've been able to negotiate and go back and forth with to even warrant 'Ok, what does a strike look like?'"
The WNBA's most recent proposal features a $1.3 million maximum salary, with the parties continuing to spar over a revenue sharing plan — arguably the highest priority item according to the players.
"The sooner it gets to a WNBA season, we're prepared to do it — to not play," WNBPA VP Breanna Stewart said on her Game Recognizes Game podcast this week. "But we don't want to. We want to play."