Despite some mock drafts projecting her to go as high as the first pick in the second round of the 2025 WNBA Draft, TCU’s Sedona Prince did not earn an invite to the pro league on Monday night.
The move came after the 6-foot-7 center helped lead the Horned Frogs to the 2024/25 NCAA tournament's Elite Eight round.
Prince, who turns 25 years old next month, suited up for Texas, Oregon, and TCU during her seven-year NCAA career. Her run spanned multiple injury-induced redshirt seasons caused by a broken leg, torn elbow ligament, and a broken finger.
During Monday's ESPN broadcast, commentators noted that her age and injury record may have impacted Prince's WNBA prospects. They also directly brought up Prince's history of intimate partner violence and abuse allegations.
As reported both via social media and by The Washington Post, several women have accused Prince of abuse or sexual assault. Prince denies these claims and, to date, has never been charged with a crime.
Prince's complicated collegiate campaign also includes a viral 2021 social media post calling out gender inequities within the NCAA tournament. The post ultimately ignited top-line changes across college sports.
WNBA GMs weigh risk factors in drafting Prince
Like other undrafted athletes, Prince could still receive an invite to any of the 13 teams' training camps. Though the decision to offer her a preseason try-out remains complicated for WNBA front offices.
"You want to be fair about it and don't want to necessarily hold [the allegations] against her," one unnamed WNBA GM told ESPN’s Katie Barnes in a recent article detailing Prince’s draft prospects. "But from an organizational standpoint, you also have to be cautious and do your due diligence."
"We wouldn't touch it, but I think that everybody's at a different spot. Everybody has different information," another GM said. "But where we're at with this franchise, right, wrong, or indifferent, there's a risk associated and that's not a risk on someone's character that we'd take."
After UConn superstar Paige Bueckers set the tone as the overall No. 1 pick, the rest of Monday night’s 2025 WNBA Draft played out without too many surprises, as teams stocked up on fresh talent from both home and abroad.
The Seattle Storm selected French phenom Dominique Malonga second, before the Washington Mystics took Notre Dame guard Sonia Citron at No. 3 and USC forward Kiki Iriafen at No. 4.
Incoming expansion team Golden State threw the night’s initial curveball with their first-ever draft pick, adding Lithuanian forward Justé Jocyté to the Valkyries' inaugural roster at No. 5.
However, Jocyté's availability remains a question mark, with the 19-year-old confirming her intent to join her national team for this summer's EuroBasket.
Young stars earn first round selections at the 2025 WNBA Draft
The rest of Monday's first round showcased NCAA and international standouts alike, with teams prioritizing both skills, potential, and team fit as they strategized and vied to load their draft boards with top talent.
The exception to the original first-round lineup was Las Vegas, whose No. 10 pick was rescinded after a 2023 investigation found the Aces guilty of violating league policies.
- No. 6: Georgia Amoore (Kentucky) to the Washington Mystics
- No. 7: Aneesah Morrow (LSU) to the Connecticut Sun
- No. 8: Saniyah Rivers (NC State) to the Connecticut Sun
- No. 9: Sarah Ashlee Barker (Alabama) to the LA Sparks
- No. 10: Ajša Sivka (Slovenia) to the Chicago Sky
- No. 11: Hailey Van Lith (TCU) to the Chicago Sky
- No. 12: Aziaha James (NC State) to the Dallas Wings
With the 2025 WNBA season starting in just one month, the new draftees will soon be joining their pro teams in training camp, where final roster decisions will be made as franchises make difficult cuts en route to May 16th's opening tip-off.
"The WNBA is so unique with how powerful the talent is because it is so small," said Van Lith, who's set to link up with her former LSU teammate Angel Reese at the Chicago Sky this year. "It's a competition that I'm ready to embrace, that I'm excited to embrace."
Showing up in part to support fellow Husky and overall No. 1 pick Paige Bueckers, two additional UConn stars heard their names called during Monday night’s 2025 WNBA Draft.
On the heels of teammate Bueckers's draft night endorsement, both transfer guard Kaitlyn Chen and forward Aubrey Griffin emerged from the crowd to take the stage in the third round.
Incoming expansion team Golden State snapped up former Princeton standout Chen with the overall No. 30 selection, before the Minnesota Lynx grabbed Griffin with Monday's second-to-last pick.
"Honestly, [I'm] still in a little bit of shock…. I was really just here to watch Paige get drafted and I'm so happy for her," Chen told reporters afterwards. "I didn't really have any expectations coming into the night, but to be able to experience that with my team all around me and them all jumping and screaming was pretty amazing."
Griffin, whose pro dreams dimmed after suffering an ACL tear in January 2024, returned to Storrs for the 2024/25 NCAA season. This decision that earned her a national championship and a WNBA invitation.
"I honestly didn't think I would get picked," added Griffin. "I'm just super grateful that I can be able to continue playing the game that I love. I'm just lost for words right now."
NCAA stars snag surprise WNBA Draft picks
Other late-round addition included Maryland guard Shyanne Sellers and Iowa guard Lucy Olsen. Both players earned second-round invites from the Golden State Valkyries and the Washington Mystics, respectively.
Joining Chen and Griffin is Kansas State guard Serena Sundell. The third-round pick will vie for a spot on the Seattle Storm roster. Las Vegas Aces hopeful Harmoni Turner also went in the third round. Turner became Harvard's second-ever WNBA Draft night selectee.
Alabama star Sarah Ashlee Barker claims Monday's biggest Cinderella story.
A lower-profile colege recruit, Barker's breakout 45-point NCAA tournament performance boosted her stock. The LA Sparks subsequently selected her as the draft's overall No. 9 pick.
Two-time WNBA champion Kelsey Plum dropped her 12-player 2025 Dawg Class roster on Wednesday, inviting another generation of college talent to join her at an Under Armour training camp designed to help NCAA athletes transition to the pros.
The new LA Sparks guard experienced her own growing pains in making the professional leap. In response, Plum launched the camp in 2023, aiming to specifically address those struggles and aid future pros.
Each year, Plum invites both graduating and returning NCAA stars to the training camp, hoping to help them overcome or even bypass some of the hurdles she encountered when entering the WNBA.
"Dawg Class is all about changing the game for the next generation of women's basketball players," explained Plum before the 2024 edition.
"All of these athletes have extraordinary talent and skill, and it is my mission to help them with that transition to the next level by cultivating that 'dawg' mentality — the grit, self-confidence and work ethic — to continue to succeed and evolve in their careers."
2025 Dawg Camp taps NCAA champions, star freshmen
Now entering its third iteration, newly crowned Final Four Most Outstanding Player Azzi Fudd and her UConn teammate and fellow 2025 NCAA champ KK Arnold are both making Dawg Class returns — Fudd took part in the 2023 edition while Arnold capped her freshman season at Plum's 2024 camp.
Also returning to the elite roster are 2024 alums Shyanne Sellers (Maryland) and Georgia Amoore (Kentucky), with Amoore having featured on all three Dawg Class rosters so far.
Both Amoore and Sellers, as well as first-time invitee and Harvard senior Harmoni Turner — the 2024/25 Beck Hammon Mid-Major Player of the Year — are turning pro this year, with the trio hoping to hear their names called during Monday's 2025 WNBA Draft.
Like Turner, eight other top college athletes are also making their Dawg Class debuts this year, including a quartet of the NCAA's most impressive freshmen: Michigan's Syla Swords, Ohio State's Jaloni Cambridge, USC's Kayleigh Heckel, and Vanderbilt's Mikayla Blakes.
Kelsey Plum's 2025 Under Armour Dawg Class
- Georgia Amoore*, Kentucky
- KK Arnold, UConn
- Mikayla Blakes, Vanderbilt
- Zoe Brooks, NC State
- Jaloni Cambridge, Ohio State
- Azzi Fudd, UConn
- Kayleigh Heckel, USC
- Ashlon Jackson, Duke
- Tessa Johnson, South Carolina
- Shyanne Sellers*, Maryland
- Syla Swords, Michigan
- Harmoni Turner*, Harvard
*denotes players who have declared for the 2025 WNBA Draft
UConn’s big NCAA championship win over South Carolina on Sunday weighed in as ESPN’s third most-watched title match in women’s March Madness history, with an average viewership of 8.6 million fans and a peak of 9.9 million.
Also making a viewership mark last weekend were Friday's Final Four tilts. Both the 4.2 million fans who tuned into UConn's win over UCLA and the 3.7 million who saw South Carolina take down Texas helped those games claim spots in the sport's Top 10 most watched across ESPN platforms.
The 2025 grand finale fell short of the Caitlin Clark-fueled 2023 and 2024 championship games. However, Sunday’s matchup towered over the 2022 edition with an impressive 75% viewership increase.
The 2025 championship more than doubled the 2021's 4.1 million viewers. This demonstrates a sharp continued uptick in the sport's widespread popularity.
With the 2024/25 NCAA women's basketball tournament scoring massive viewership numbers from tip-off through trophy-lifting, it's not entirely surprising that this season's edition registered as the second most-watched women's March Madness on record, boasting an impressive 8.5 billion minutes of content consumed.
Auriemma, Staley push for new March Madness media deal
Both 2025 NCAA championship-contending head coaches subsequently voiced support for securing a new media rights deal. They seek one that separates women's basketball from its current package alongside 39 other collegiate championships.
"For years and years and years we’ve been packaged with all the other Olympic sports, so to speak, in one big chunk. Can we completely separate ourselves and say, 'What are we worth to you?,'" UConn manager Geno Auriemma said on Sunday.
Although a separate deal is a tough ask given that the current contract runs through 2032, South Carolina boss Dawn Staley echoed Auriemma's sentiment. She advocated for a standalone deal similar to the one that's brought lucrative success to the men's tournament.
"I don't know if [new WBCA president Jose Fernandez] can get that, [but opening] up negotiations for a new television deal would be nice," said Staley.
"We need our own television deal so we can understand what our worth is."
The No. 2-seed UConn Huskies are atop college basketball once again, winning a record-extending 12th NCAA championship in a 82-59 blowout victory over No. 1-seed South Carolina on Sunday.
The title ends a nine-year drought for the dynasty program — the longest stretch without hoisting the trophy since the Huskies' first-ever national championship in 1995.
Trio of Huskies fuel UConn's championship grab
After dominating overall No. 1-seed UCLA 85-51 on Final Four Friday, UConn earned a season finale face-off against the defending champion Gamecocks, who punched their spot in Sunday's championship showdown by taking down No. 1-seed Texas 74-57 — South Carolina's third win over their SEC rival this season.
The big day, however, belonged to the Huskies, as UConn’s "Big Three" of star senior Paige Bueckers, standout guard Azzi Fudd, and freshman phenom Sarah Strong posted a combined 65 points to outscore South Carolina.
Fudd and Strong led the game's stat sheet by scoring 24 points each, helping Fudd snag the tournament's Most Outstanding Player honor — and earning Strong a new NCAA record.
After finishing March Madness with 114 total points across UConn's six-game run, the newly crowned 2024/25 Freshman of the Year broke the NCAA tournament's freshman scoring record, as Strong surpassed 2011 WNBA MVP Tamika Catchings, who posted 111 points in Tennessee's 1998 championship run.
As for graduating superstar Bueckers, her 17 points made her the Huskies' all-time NCAA tournament scoring leader, while Sunday's title cements her legacy, capping her college career by adding her name to the litany of UConn greats in the Storrs rafters.
"It's been a story of resilience, of gratitude, of overcoming adversity and just responding to life's challenges," said Bueckers after her last game as a Husky.
"This is one of the most emotional Final Fours and emotional national championships I've been a part of since that very first one," echoed head coach Geno Auriemma.
All in all, UConn overcame years of close calls, injury woes, and buzzer-beating heartbreak to restore their March Madness dynasty. With Fudd returning next season alongside Strong, the Huskies' future looks brighter than ever.
Final Four teams eye 2026 return
On the other side of the championship coin, the Gamecocks never quite hit their stride on Sunday, falling one game short of a back-to-back title after snagging a spot in their third championship game in four years.
"We lost to a very, very good basketball team," South Carolina head coach Dawn Staley said after the defeat. "They beat our ass, but they didn't make us like it. There's a difference."
Though Sunday’s loss stings, South Carolina's youthful core means the Gamecocks — like the young squads from Final Four teams UCLA and Texas — will be back, packing both March Madness experience and a hefty dose of vengeance next year.
"I hope they're crying," Staley said of her returning players. "I hope they're boo-hoo-ing because from crying they have emotion about losing, makes you work hard in the offseason."
It's a sentiment echoed by the 2024/25 Naismith Defensive Player of the Year, UCLA star Lauren Betts.
"We have the same team coming next year," Betts said of the Bruins' underclass core after Friday's Final Four loss. "I hope this fuels us, and I hope that we come out angry after this."
After faltering in their own Final Four matchup on Friday, Texas head coach Vic Schaefer offered a similar silver lining.
"It won't be easier tonight or tomorrow, but it will be easier knowing them three are around," Schaefer said of Longhorn underclassmen Madison Booker, Bree Hall, and Jordan Lee. "They are competitors. And again, they’re kids that invest in their craft."
The Final Four squads unable to seal the deal this season will rue an opportunity lost, but with another year of development, expect the same names to dominate the news cycle next March.
UConn might be the lowest seed left standing, but their championship pedigree looms largest of all, as the Huskies gear up to face No. 1 seed UCLA tonight in their quest to end a nine-year NCAA title drought.
“Before you even get here, you kind of know the pressures that exist by committing to UConn,” star guard Paige Bueckers said ahead of the Huskies’ 24th Final Four appearance. “It’s a decision you have to make even before you step on campus.”
Facing the Final Four with a healthy UConn roster
Reaching four of the last five tournament semifinals despite battling years of injury and availability concerns, UConn’s senior class is hell-bent on proving themselves once and for all on college basketball’s biggest stage.
This year’s run has benefitted greatly from backcourt duo Bueckers and Azzi Fudd, reunited in the postseason for the first time in over two years.
Freshman All-American Sarah Strong and key transfer Kaitlyn Chen round out the team's backbone.
"Sarah impacts the game in so many ways, that you just have so much confidence in her, so much belief in her," UConn head coach Geno Auriemma said of Strong. "I don't know. Can't explain it."
Paige Bueckers powers the Huskies offense
Already UConn’s third all-time leading scorer, Bueckers has been on a scoring tear en route to the Final Four, dropping 30 points in her last three outings as she gears up to enter the 2025 WNBA Draft.
“When I say unique, I think she’s closer to one or two or three of most unique players I’ve ever coached,” Auriemma said. “And I’m really going to miss her.”
This Huskies squad has navigated both long-term adversity and recent hurdles with skill and confidence. But will they be the team that gets UConn back on the trophy-winning track?
March Madness isn’t the only game in town this weekend, as Saturday’s College All-Star Game provides WNBA hopefuls one last showcase before April 14th’s draft.
Voted on by members of the media and former coaches, this year’s roster features four All-Americans — Izzy Higginbottom (Arkansas), Shyanne Sellers (Maryland), Makayla Timpson (Florida State), and Harmoni Turner (Harvard) — alongside 16 All-Conference honorees.
All-Star Game showcases WNBA-bound talent
Saturday's matchup returned to Final Four Weekend in 2024 after an 18-year hiatus. The game gives seniors no longer playing in the NCAA tournament a chance to show off their skills in front of pro scouts and a sold-out crowd.
WNBA legends Nancy Lieberman and Cheryl Miller will coach two 10-player teams on Saturday. Longtime college coach Terri Mitchell serving as Game Ambassador.
An additional nine prospects are joining in for today’s All-Star Combine. Invitees include tournament standouts Michigan’s Jordan Hobbs and NC State’s Madison Hayes.
As college basketball grows more competitive, the game plays an important role in keeping the NCAA-to-WNBA pipeline moving.
How to watch the Women's College All-Star Game at the NCAA Final Four
The College All-Star Game tips off on Saturday at 3 PM ET, live on ESPN2.
UCLA, UConn, Texas, and South Carolina have touched down in Tampa, each team laser-focused on tonight’s NCAA Final Four with a trip to Sunday’s national championship game on the line.
SEC titans Texas and South Carolina will square off for the fourth time this season, with the Longhorns looking to upset the reigning champs in their first Final Four appearance since 2003.
UCLA and UConn will later link up for the first time since 2023, with the Bruins fighting for a ticket to their first-ever championship game against a tournament-tested — but title-less — Huskies class.
Top-ranked teams square off in tonight's Final Four
Three of tonight’s teams entered the tournament as No. 1 seeds — Texas, South Carolina, and UCLA — while all four ranked among the AP’s Top 10 throughout the regular season.
“Not only is every team different in terms of their talent base and strengths and weaknesses, but their makeup internally is different,” UCLA head coach Cori Close said on Thursday.
“Whoever gets through this semifinal and final will have done it against the best of the best,” said Texas head coach Vic Schaefer. “We all understand it. It’s hard to do.”
"It’s going to come down to heart, effort, and controlling the things that we can control, which is attitude and effort,” echoed South Carolina senior Te-Hina PaoPao.
After a year of unparalleled parity at the top, there can still only be one winner — and whoever cuts the nets down on Sunday will surely be worthy.
How to watch the Women's Final Four and NCAA Championship this weekend
The Final Four tips off tonight at 7 PM ET on ESPN, with Sunday’s NCAA championship game starting at 3 PM ET on ABC.
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, retired NWSL great Merritt Mathias, and JWS intern BJ serve up their hottest takes on the biggest women's sports headlines.
This week, Just Women’s Sports brought Sports Are Fun! to Tampa for a live recording ahead of the NCCA Final Four.
Taped in front of a live audience, O’Hara and the crew were joined by some extra special guests. Hall of Famer Lisa Leslie, WNBA stars Aaliyah Edwards and Kelsey Mitchell, and UCLA standout Gabriela Jaquez all showed up to talk through the biggest weekend in college basketball.
'Sports Are Fun!' guests give their takes on the NCAA Final Four
Lisa Leslie on why UConn star Paige Bueckers doesn’t need a championship to secure her legacy
- “There's a whole career beyond college… She’s about to be the No. 1 draft pick in the WNBA. Now, if she gets there and she doesn't have a stellar career in the W, then maybe we don't talk about her anymore. But I don't really see that happening.”
Aaliyah Edwards on what UConn needs to do to stop UCLA in the Final Four
- “The first thing is, we just need to set the tone, play our game, focus on us. Because we've been doing great things. Second thing would be to limit the touches inside… And the third thing, which is like a UConn motto, is just play hard, play smart, and have fun.”
- “Obviously respect to UCLA, but I think we got it in the bag.”
Kelsey Mitchell on NIL pressure and Olivia Miles entering the NCAA transfer portal
- “I grew to respect people like Caitlin [Clark] because she handled it so gracefully… With Olivia, I'm sure whatever she decides to do, I'm going to say it was for her and what she needed for her career. But I hope consciously that they make decisions based on what they need for themselves.”
- “Not all money is good money. Hopefully whatever she decides to do is for her and she goes where she’s loved and where she’s celebrated, not tolerated.”
Gabriela Jaquez on how UCLA is preparing for their Final Four matchup against UConn
- “We're feeling great. We're feeling very confident, excited. I think coming here in the Final Four, it's such an extravagant experience, and I'm so thankful for it and these opportunities. But yeah, we all are here to play basketball and win games, and we're excited and we're really confident.”
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!"
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