The No. 5 LSU Tigers are gearing up for their first big test of the 2025/26 NCAA basketball season, opening conference play against fellow SEC powerhouse No. 11 Kentucky on Thursday.

"There's nothing else that I can learn about this team in a non-conference schedule," LSU head coach Kim Mulkey said following her squad's 109-41 win over Alabama State on Sunday. "What I'm gonna learn is gonna be through these games in the SEC."

Known in recent years for playing a weak non-conference schedule, the Tigers have nonetheless impressed so far, closing out their 14-game slate averaging a 55.4-point margin of victory while scoring more than 100 points in 11 matchups.

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Senior guard Flau'jae Johnson and star South Carolina transfer MiLaysia Fulwiley currently share LSU's scoring crown with 15.1 points per game, while senior Amiya Joyner tops the rebounds tally at 7.3 boards per game.

That said, LSU will need all their firepower when they host a Kentucky team hitting their stride under former Virginia Tech head coach Kenny Brooks.

Hokies transfer Clara Strack stars for the Wildcats, leading Kentucky in points, rebounds, steals, and blocks as the team enters SEC play with just one loss — to No. 7 Maryland — on their 2025/26 NCAA record.

How to watch Kentucky vs. LSU on Thursday

The No. 5 Tigers will tip off against the No. 11 Wildcats at 8 PM ET, with live coverage streaming on SEC Network+.

Welcome to another episode of Sports Are Fun! presented by TurboTax.

Every week on Sports Are Fun!, co-hosts soccer legend Kelley O'Hara, sports journalist Greydy Diaz, and JWS intern BJ serve up their hottest takes on the biggest women's sports headlines.

This week, Sports Are Fun! talks all things 2025 WNBA Draft. The crew dives deep into who went where, which teams scored big, and — most importantly — who wore what.

For Sports Are Fun!, style definitely stole the show.

"This is one of my favorite parts of draft night," said O'Hara. "It's seeing how people dress, what they choose, how they bring in their own bits of personality, or things that they want to pay tribute to."

"I'm a suit girl, so Paige [Bueckers] and Georgia [Amoore] were my two favorites," she added.

"Well do you know the background behind Georgia's?" asked Diaz. "She is the first WNBA player to be styled by an NBA player. Russell Westbrook has his own brand, Honor the Gift, which is so cool. And to see them both just interacting yesterday was so cool."

"I loved it," she continued. "I hope it sparks even more collaborations with other players and brands. Even them — I'd love to see them do some more work together.

"Yeah, I hope that Russ has some tunnel fits for Georgia going into the season. That'd be sick," said O'Hara. "I'd like to see more."

Over an action-packed 49 minutes, Sports Are Fun! also gets into the state of the USWNT post-Brazil friendlies, Midge Purce's return to Gotham, and so much more.

'Sports Are Fun!' rate player outfits from the 2025 WNBA Draft

After wading into the 2025 WNBA Draft style conversation, Sports Are Fun went all in. O'Hara, Diaz, and BJ didn't hold back when it came to WNBA Draft night fashion, discussing the good, the glam, and the uncomfortable.

"Apparently Georgia [Amoore] was like, 'I just want a blazer and I want to wear a skirt and I don't want to wear heels,'" O'Hara said, referencing the Kentucky grad's Russel Westbrook-designed outfit. "And I was like, girl after my own heart. She looked good, but she looked comfortable."

"So speaking of uncomfortable," O'Hara began, switching gears. "Paige [Bueckers] wore a three-piece suit on the Orange carpet. Then she did a fit change — still a suit, but went blazer, no shirt underneath. Clearly she was having some malfunctions, because she was having to hold it."

"She was also mic'ed up," reasoned BJ. "You could see her fixing the mic."

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"I love that she matched Azzi," said Diaz, shouting out Bueckers's UConn teammate Azzi Fudd, who was seated next to her at the event. "They had a little matchy-matchy vibe. They both look so good in the black. And Azzi told me she straightened her hair — she's like 'Greydy, this is the first time I straightened my hair in like four years!'"

"Loved this look, amazing," O'Hara continued. "But [Bueckers] was having to hold her blazer down a lot and I was like, I just want her to be comfortable in this moment.

"I love this fit, I just like 'Could can someone get the girl some fashion tape and so she doesn't have to hold on?' In those moments, you want to look amazing and you want to feel your best but you don't want to be uncomfortable."

Sports Are Fun! graphic featuring soccer legend Kelley O'Hara.
'Sports Are Fun!' places Kelley O'Hara at the intersection of women's sports and fun. (Just Women's Sports)

About 'Sports Are Fun!' with Kelley O'Hara

'Sports Are Fun!' is a show that’ll remind you why you fell in love with women's sports in the first place.

Join World Cup champ, Olympic gold medalist, and aspiring barista Kelley O'Hara as she sits down with sports journalist Greydy Diaz and a revolving cast of co-hosts and friends. Together, they're talking the biggest, funnest, and most need-to-know stories in the world of women’s sports.

From on-court drama to off-field shenanigans, to candid (and silly) chats with the most important personalities in the space, this show screams "Sports Are Fun!"

Subscribe to Just Women's Sports on YouTube to never miss an episode.

The NCAA's hottest conference shows no signs of letting up, with the SEC serving college basketball fans two of Thursday's most anticipated top-ranked clashes.

After last week's loss to No. 2 South Carolina and Sunday's low-scoring victory over unranked Texas A&M, No. 7 LSU ready to reclaim their previous firepower by gearing up for an offense-heavy battle with SEC newcomer No. 13 Oklahoma.

The Tigers have only met the Sooners once before, falling in to Oklahoma in a December 2019 matchup. However, head coach Kim Mulkey, who joined LSU in 2021, brings her own experience, tallying a 27-20 record against Oklahoma during her time at Baylor.

Both teams enter Thursday's matchup ranked in the nation's Top 3 for rebounding and Top 6 for scoring, with each having a particular penchant for points in transition.

Between LSU scoring leaders Flau'jae Johnson and Aneesah Morrow — the nation's top rebounder who also leads the country with 19 double-doubles on the season — Oklahoma will need to lean on both defense and Sooner center Reagan Beers to tame the Tigers.

Kentucky basketball star Georgia Amoore celebrates during a game.
Led by guard Georgia Amoore, Kentucky is tied for second place in the SEC. (Dylan Buell/Getty Images)

Don't sleep on Kentucky

Joining the Wildcats one year after leading Virginia Tech to their first-ever Final Four in 2023, No. 12 Kentucky head coach Kenny Brooks has taken the once-struggling team to the upper echelons of the SEC table. The Cats are currently in second place alongside LSU and No. 5 Texas, all trailing defending national champs South Carolina.

Much of Kentucky's success rests on star guard — and Virginia Tech transfer — Georgia Amoore, who leads the Wildcats in points, assists, and steals.

The Australian standout will look to defend the Wildcats' undefeated 2024/25 home record — and clinch the program's 500th win at Historic Memorial Coliseum — when No. 22 Alabama visits on Thursday.

SEC basketball players Flau'jae Johnson and Last-Tear Poa of LSU high-five on the court
LSU faces No. 13 Oklahoma on Thursday. (Geoff Stellfox/Getty Images)

How to watch Thursday's Top 25 SEC basketball games

Both of Thursday's ranked SEC matchups tip off at 7 PM ET, when No. 13 Oklahoma takes on No. 7 LSU on ESPN2 while No. 22 Alabama faces No. 12 Kentucky on SECN.

Eight players were ejected after a scuffle broke out during an SEC women’s basketball tournament first-round matchup Wednesday between Florida and Kentucky.

Four players from each team were thrown out of the game at Bon Secours Wellness Arena in Greenville, S.C. The conflict started when Florida forward Tatyana Wyche took issue with a handoff from Kentucky forward Ajae Petty in the middle of the second quarter.

After the Wildcats scored a basket, Petty rolled the ball up Wyche’s face as she handed the ball off for the in-bounds play. Wyche threw the ball toward Petty’s back and then ran after her and toward the Kentucky bench, where the fight escalated.

Ejections followed, including for Wyche. For Florida, Faith Dut, Ra Shaya Kyle and Taliyah Wyche also were ejected for exiting the Gators’ bench. For Kentucky, Cassidy Rowe, Eniya Russell, Zennia Thomas and Saniah Tyler were ejected for exiting the Wildcats’ bench, per Lexington Herald-Leader reporter Caroline Makauskas. Petty received a technical but was not ejected.

The game was delayed for 22 minutes after the altercation, but No. 14 seed Kentucky (11-18) went on to take a 72-57 win against No. 11 seed Florida.

The Wildcats advance to face No. 6 seed Alabama in the second round Thursday, though they may be shorthanded if the conference decides to hand out suspensions to players involved in the incident.

When Atlanta Dream rookie Rhyne Howard dropped 33 points Sunday against the Indiana Fever, she did so in front of a sea of Kentucky blue.

A group of over 60 Kentucky fans got on a bus to Indianapolis to watch the guard play in her fourth professional game. After the game, Howard called the experience “super special.”

“They made this game feel like a home game,” Howard said. “It just shows how much love they have for their players — not just me, but if it was anybody else they would have done the same. So it just speaks a lot on Big Blue Nation and how they care for their players.”

Howard celebrated with the group after the game, with Kentucky coach Kyra Elzy thanking those that attended.

“We always have to take care of our own,” Elzy wrote on Twitter.

Howard, who continues to make her case for Rookie of the Year, was selected No. 1 overall out of Kentucky and now has the Dream (3-1) off to their best start since 2017.

With the No. 1 pick in the 2022 WNBA draft, the Atlanta Dream selected Rhyne Howard out of the University of Kentucky.

The Dream acquired the pick via a trade with the Washington Mystics last Wednesday, trading away picks No. 3 and No. 14 in exchange for the top spot on the board.

Howard was the consensus top pick in the draft by multiple mock drafts, including Just Women’s Sports’ mock draft.

As a senior, Howard was named a first-team All-American – her third such honor, which made her just the ninth player to achieve that marker – after averaging 20.5 points, 7.4 rebounds and 3.3 assists per game.

“This is a dream come true,” Howard told Holly Rowe on ESPN.

Kentucky has extended the contract of coach Kyra Elzy through 2027 following the team’s first SEC tournament championship in 40 years.

While full details of the contract are not yet available, they will be posted to the UK Office of Legal Counsel’s website.

Elzy initially started as interim head coach, taking over for Matthew Mitchell, before being hired on in the official role in December 2020 following a 6-0 start. This season, the Wildcats finished 19-12, including a 64-62 upset over top-ranked and eventual national champion South Carolina in the SEC tournament title game.

Since then, three starters have entered their names into the transfer portal, while Rhyne Howard has declared for the WNBA draft.

Kentucky was the second-lowest seed ever to win the championship and the fourth to defeat the No. 1 team in the country in the SEC tournament finals.

En route to the championship, Kentucky also took down Mississippi State, No. 6 LSU, and No. 18 Tennessee.

Elzy is just the fifth coach in SEC history to win the tournament just two seasons into the job, joining Joe Ciampi (Auburn), Jim Foster (Vanderbilt), Melanie Balcomb (Vanderbilt) and Holly Warlick (Tennessee).

She is the first Kentucky coach to start their tenure with back-to-back NCAA tournament appearances.

In a release, athletic director Mitch Barnhart called the turnaround “impressive” and a strong step in building the program’s championship vision.

“We’re excited to extend Kyra and continue our investment in women’s basketball and in her as a coach and positive role model in our community,” he continued. “After the adversity the team faced throughout the season, the turnaround at the end of the year was impressive – defeating the eventual national champion and winning our first SEC Tournament Championship in 40 years.”

Elzy thanked Barnhart, President Eli Capiluto and women’s basketball administrator Tiffany Hayden for their shared commitment to the program.

“I am 100 percent confident in what we offer our student-athletes here at Kentucky,” she said. “We have a core group of talented and driven players returning along with an exciting group of signees that cannot wait to wear those eight letters across the front of their jersey.”

Kentucky’s team will look much different next year, with the Wildcats standing to lose four of their 2021 starters.

Dre’Una Edwards, Treasure Hunt and Jazmine Massengill all put their names in the transfer portal Friday, while Rhyne Howard will enter the WNBA draft.

The Wildcats were bounced by Princeton in the first round of the NCAA tournament after upsetting South Carolina in the SEC Tournament.

“I am confident in myself as a coach and a person, and what our staff does for our student-athletes on and off the court,” said Kentucky head coach Kyra Elzy on the SEC Network Friday, addressing the news. “I have a group of athletes on campus and signees that are excited about Kentucky women’s basketball.”

Edwards, who hit the game-winner against South Carolina in the SEC Tournament final, is Kentucky’s leading rebounder with 8.4 per game and the second-leading scorer, with 16.5 points per game.

Massengill will be a fifth-year senior while Hunt is entering her junior season.

Elzy will have her work cut out for her this off-season, with the Kentucky coach already projected to have her largest recruiting class yet for the 2022-2023 season.

A’ja Wilson is looking ahead to the 2022 WNBA Draft, predicting Kentucky guard Rhyne Howard will go No. 1 overall to the Washington Mystics.

“Her speed and her IQ is really there,” Wilson says of Howard on the latest episode of NETLIFE with host Dawn Staley.

The Mystics, who won the WNBA draft lottery in December, have the opportunity to add to a roster that already includes Elena Delle Donne, Myisha Hines-Allen, Natasha Cloud, Ariel Atkins, Alysha Clark and Elizabeth Williams. Baylor’s NaLyssa Smith, Michigan’s Naz Hillmon and Ole Miss’ Shakira Austin join Howard as projected top picks heading into the 2022 draft.

“Our league is getting bigger, faster and stronger by the draft class, so you just have to focus on your game, make sure you put in that work,” Wilson says.

The Las Vegas Aces star opened up about entering the WNBA as the No. 1 overall draft pick in 2018 and playing under the league’s rookie contract for four years. The league ratified a new CBA in 2020 that increased player salaries, scaled for rookies based on where they were selected in the draft.

“It wasn’t fun, because when the numbers come out and you see that someone that’s entered the league after you is making more than you and you’re a No. 1 draft pick, it makes you want to grind even more,” says Wilson, the WNBA’s 2018 Rookie of the Year and 2020 MVP.

Last season, her fourth in the league, Wilson focused on locking down her next contract. “Going into my fourth year, I was like I am trying to get paid,” she says.

In February, the Aces announced they had re-signed Wilson to a multi-year contract, reported to be worth $398,000 over two years.

Listen to the full conversation on the NETLIFE podcast.

Day 2 of the NCAA Women’s Basketball Tournament was punctuated by a series of upsets, throwing brackets into chaos heading into the second round.

No. 9 Kansas State 50, No. 8 Washington State 40

Kansas State defeated Washington State 50-40 on Saturday to advance to the second round of the NCAA Tournament. Both teams struggled on offense, with Kansas State shooting 26.4 percent to Washington State’s 25 percent. Ayoka Lee led the Wildcats with 20 points and 15 rebounds, while Brylee Glenn added 14 points and four rebounds.

Kansas State will meet No. 1 NC State in Raleigh on Monday.

No. 11 Villanova 61, No. 6 BYU 57

Villanova upset BYU 61-57 on Saturday thanks to a strong second half. Wildcats leading scorer Maddy Siegrist led the team with 25 points, seven rebounds and three assists, while Kaitlyn Orihel added 10 points and four rebounds off the bench.

Villanova will face No. 3 seed Michigan in the second round Monday in Ann Arbor.

No. 11 Princeton 69, No. 6 Kentucky 62

No. 11 seed Princeton stunned No. 6 seed Kentucky 69-62, bouncing the SEC tournament champions in the first round. The Tigers dominated the game from the opening whistle, outshooting the Wildcats 49.1 to 35.7 percent and out-rebounding them 37-30. The win was Princeton’s second in the NCAA Tournament and first since 2015.

Next, Princeton will take on No. 3 Indiana on Monday in Bloomington.