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Five unranked women’s college basketball teams to watch out for

Sophomore transfer Jaz Shelley leads Nebraska in nearly every statistical category so far this season. (Jeffrey Brown/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

This week, we are talking about teams on the outskirts of the women’s college basketball rankings. These are the kinds of squads that aren’t necessarily getting recognition, but are the ones you don’t want to see as the opponent on your favorite team’s schedule.

Let’s dive into the five unranked programs worth keeping an eye on as the NCAA season ramps up.

Nebraska

The Cornhuskers surprised a lot of people by being one of the last undefeated teams. They started the season 11-0 before losing four of their last five games. Two of those losses came to an Iowa team that has crept back into the top 25, and one was against No. 6 Indiana. No shame in falling to either of those opponents. The one win in the five-game stretch was a double-digit victory over No. 8 Michigan, a team whose only other loss came against No. 3 Louisville. That’s an impressive resume if you ask me.

I’ve been pretty vocal about my appreciation for the Big Ten this year, and I still believe it’s the best conference in college basketball right now. Nebraska is likely to lose at least a couple of other games before the season is done. But the Huskers also have another chance to upset Indiana as well as games against Maryland and Ohio State to showcase their talent. Nebraska is eighth in the country with 81.4 team points per game and is giving up just 62.1 points per game, so the foundation for success is there.

Oregon

I’ll admit this is somewhat of an obvious pick, especially since I doubt Oregon goes another week without being ranked. Regardless, I think the Ducks deserve some recognition. After opening the season ranked in the top 10, Oregon fell out of the top 25 altogether while dealing with injuries to key starters. The Ducks hit a low point on Dec. 1 when they lost to UC Davis, but after beating No. 7 Arizona and No. 9 UConn this past week, Oregon appears to be realizing its potential at last.

Sophomore guard Te-Hina Paopao — who missed nine games earlier in the season with a knee injury — was a notable bright spot during the two-game stretch, scoring 24 points against Arizona in overtime and notching 22 points and eight rebounds against UConn. Coach Kelly Graves has a knack for getting the most out of his players, and I expect Oregon to have a strong finish to the season.

Virginia Tech

The Hokies have had a relatively unremarkable 12-4 season thus far, with the high point being two wins over Duke (ranked 15th and 16th in those contests), but they have the pieces to contend in the ACC and into the postseason. With one of the best posts in the country, Elizabeth Kitley, leading the way with 18.6 points, 7.4 rebounds per game, and the skilled guard duo of Aisha Sheppard and Kayana Traylor, Virginia Tech has the potential to beat some of the ACC’s top teams. The Hokies have ranked teams NC State, Notre Dame, Georgia Tech, North Carolina and Louisville all left on their schedule, so more upsets and an ascension into the top 25 are within reach.

Kansas State

If Kansas State was on your radar before the season started, it was likely because of Ayoka Lee. The junior center has been as good as advertised, averaging 23.5 points and 10.6 rebounds per game and scoring over 30 points on six occasions. Kansas State as a team, however, has remained relatively under the radar despite having only one bad loss (Texas Tech), a major upset (Baylor) and two other solid wins (West Virginia and Oregon).

The Wildcats were probably four points away from being in a completely different national conversation, but ultimately lost to No. 9 Iowa State 73-70 on Jan. 11. If that game went the other way, Kansas State would have had a chance to vault into the top 20 even with their subsequent loss to Texas Tech on Saturday. As it stands, Kansas State is a sleeper team to keep an eye on.

South Florida

Maybe it’s wishful thinking at this point, but I think South Florida is a solid team that’s capable of making noise in the NCAA Tournament. The Bulls are currently 12-5 and were ranked as high as 13th this season. Losing to Tennessee by three points and to a full-strength UConn squad by seven are what I would consider “good” losses. Victories over Oregon and Stanford are both good wins. But losing to Ole Miss is bad, and losing to UT Arlington is terrible.

At this point, I think South Florida is the kind of team that can beat almost anyone, but also lose to almost anyone. That kind of inconsistency makes it hard to evaluate the Bulls, but it also means they could be a strong upset candidate in March.

AP Poll talk

As discussed in my last notebook, I’m happy with South Carolina at No. 1, but I still think Louisville should be in the No. 2 spot rather than Stanford. Indiana and Tennessee are a toss-up for the No. 5 spot, and UConn should be out of the top 10 at this point, but the top of the poll is in good shape overall.

I’ve been a Maryland believer for most of the season, but right now the Terrapins are consistently inconsistent, and it’s been tough to get a read on them. Their loss to then-No. 11 Michigan on Sunday can be forgiven, but against ranked opponents generally, Maryland has yet to really impress me. The Terrapins’ best win came against Baylor in November, but the Bears haven’t done much to win favor since then. So, for me, Maryland is out of the top 15. They need to win one of their upcoming rematches against Michigan and Indiana to regain some of the hype they had at the start of the season.

Last time, I argued that South Florida was a top-20 team. The Bulls haven’t lost since then, but my opinion has changed. As I outlined above, I think the Bulls are capable of doing damage in the postseason, but I’ve been overselling them as things stand now.

I’m happy to see both Colorado and Florida Gulf Coast in the rankings this week. The Buffs have been on the outskirts for a while now, but I think they’ve been consistent enough for a low-level ranking. As for FGCU, I thought their lower-level competition in the Atlantic Sun would keep them out of the rankings, but I’m glad to see AP voters no longer holding that against them.

JWS’ Top 25 in Week 11

  1. South Carolina (17-1)
  2. Louisville (15-1)
  3. Stanford (13-3)
  4. NC State (16-2)
  5. Indiana (14-2)
  6. Tennessee (17-1)
  7. Michigan (15-2)
  8. Iowa State (16-1)
  9. Arizona (12-2)
  10. LSU (17-2)
  11. UConn (9-4)
  12. Georgia (14-3)
  13. Texas (12-3)
  14. BYU (14-1)
  15. Oklahoma (15-2)
  16. Georgia Tech (13-4)
  17. Maryland (12-5)
  18. Duke (11-4)
  19. Baylor (11-4)
  20. Notre Dame (13-3)
  21. Kansas State (13-4)
  22. Colorado (13-2)
  23. Iowa (10-4)
  24. Florida Gulf Coast (15-1)
  25. North Carolina (14-2)

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.

US Tennis Stars Advance as Wimbledon Field Narrows

Italy's Jasmine Paolini celebrates her first-round win over Latvia's Anastasija Sevastova at the 2025 Wimbledon Championships
World No. 4 Jasmine Paolini fell in the second round of the 2025 Wimbledon Championships on Wednesday. (Daniel Kopatsch/Getty Images)

The 2025 Wimbledon Championships wrapped its second round on Thursday, with the grass court Grand Slam seeing just 15 of the tournament's 32 seeded players advance to the Friday and Saturday's third round.

A full half of the WTA's Top 10 players did not survive the week, with 2024 Wimbledon finalist and world No. 5 Jasmine Paolini joining four first-round star exits by falling to unseeded Kamilla Rakhimova in a three-set, second-round battle on Wednesday.

At the same time, unseeded fan favorites like Japan's No. 53 Naomi Osaka and England's own No. 40 Emma Raducanu secured third-round spots at the London Slam, joining top surviving contenders like No. 4 Iga Świątek and defending Wimbledon champion No. 16 Barbora Krejčíková.

Notably, a full five US players managed to move ahead, tied for the largest national contingent still standing at the tournament.

Led by 2025 Australian Open champion No. 8 Madison Keys, the US group also includes No. 10 Emma Navarro and No. 12 Amanda Anisimova, as well as unseeded players No. 54 Danielle Collins and No. 55 Hailey Baptiste.

With matches against Świątek and No. 7 Mirra Andreeva, respectively, Collins and Baptiste have a tough third round ahead — though Navarro's battle against the 2024 champ Krejčíková arguably headlines Saturday's slate.

US tennis star Emma Navarro eyes a return during a 2025 Wimbledon match.
US star Emma Navarro will face 2024 champ Barbora Krejčíková in Wimbledon's Round of 32. (Rob Newell/CameraSport via Getty Images)

How to watch Wimbledon this weekend

While world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka is still holding strong in the dwindling field, this year's Wimbledon play is proving that the London Slam is anyone's to take, as the grass court humbles even the sport's top stars.

Expect the twists and turns to continue as tennis's best battle for spots in Sunday's Round of 16.

Round-of-32 Wimbledon play kicks off at 6 AM ET on Friday, with live continuous coverage of the tournament airing on ESPN.

Finland Opens Women’s Euro 2025 with Upset Upset Win Over Iceland

Finland's Katariina Kosola and Emma Koivisto celebrate a goal during their opening 2025 Euro match.
Finland earned a surprise 1-0 win over Iceland in their 2025 Euro opener on Wednesday. (Alexander Hassenstein/Getty Images)

The 2025 European Championship is officially underway, as Euro action kicked off with a group-stage upset on Wednesday.

Though the 2025 UEFA tournament's opener was a sweltering affair amid a European heat wave, world No. 26 Finland prevailed, earning a 1-0 upset win over No. 14 Iceland in Group A.

Finnish winger Katariina Kosola played hero, curling in the winning goal in the match's 70th minute — just 12 minutes after Iceland midfielder Hildur Antonsdóttir picked up the competition's first red card.

"The result is important for our confidence," Kosola said after Finland's first major tournament win since the 2009 Euro. "It was the kind of goal I have been practicing a lot."

"It's terrible to lose and we feel frustrated," said Iceland head coach Thorsteinn Halldórsson. "It is an even group and we knew Finland were good, but our first half wasn't good enough."

Elsewhere, No. 16 Norway closed out Wednesday's slate on top of Group A, taking three points by defeating host No. 23 Switzerland in day's second match.

Led by captain and 2018 Ballon d'Or winner Ada Hegerberg — who pulled the match even with a second-half strike — Norway battled to a 2-1 comeback win, despite the Swiss side outshooting and out-possessing the Norwegians.

Spain jersey hang in lockers ahead of the team's 2025 Euro opening match against Portugal.
Reigning World Cup champions Spain will open their 2025 Euro account against Portugal. (Aitor Alcalde - UEFA/UEFA via Getty Images)

How to watch this week's 2025 Euro action

Group B steals the 2025 Euro spotlight on Thursday.

While No. 13 Italy snagged a 1-0 opening win over No. 20 Belgium to kick off the day, 2023 World Cup champions and tournament favorite No. 2 Spain will face No. 22 Portugal at 3 PM ET.

Friday's Group C slate will pit No. 12 Denmark against No. 6 Sweden at 12 PM ET, before No. 3 Germany contends with No. 27 Poland at 3 PM ET.

Closing out the first group-stage matches will be arguably the toughest draw of the 2025 Euro pool.

Saturday's Group D slate features major tournament debutants No. 30 Wales against the No. 11 Netherlands at 12 PM ET, with No. 10 France taking on defending champions No. 5 England to cap the day at 3 PM ET.

Live coverage of 2025 Euro matches will air across Fox Sports platforms.

USWNT Caps Summer Friendlies with 3-0 Canada Shutout

Yazmeen Ryan, Michelle Cooper, Claire Hutton, Mandy McGlynn, and Izzy Rodriguez and the rest of the USWNT huddle after their July 2025 friendly win over Canada.
The USWNT finished the summer international window with 11 goals, conceding none, across three matches. (Brad Smith/ISI Photos/USSF/Getty Images)

The world No. 1 USWNT ruled the pitch on Wednesday night, shutting out North American rivals No. 8 Canada 3-0 to finish the international window on a high note.

Catching the Canada backline sleeping, US midfielder Sam Coffey opened the scoring at the 17-minute mark before 19-year-old Claire Hutton claimed her first-ever USWNT goal by heading in a Rose Lavelle corner kick in the game's 36th minute.

Houston Dash forward Yazmeen Ryan then padded the US tally in the waning minutes of the match, finding the back of the net just eight minutes after subbing onto the field.

Despite fielding a young roster, the US overpowered a veteran-heavy Canada side in almost every category, topping their Northern neighbors in shots, shots on target, possession, and — most notably — set pieces.

Canada ultimately couldn't match the game's mental pace or physical battle, as the USWNT scored all three goals off dead ball situations — a free kick, a corner kick, and a throw-in.

"It's not about the opponent," US head coach Emma Hayes said after the match. "It's about what we do, and I felt that was extremely dominant."

With Wednesday's contributions, the USWNT finishes the summer window with 11 goals scored across the three friendlies — and zero goals conceded.

The US now enters an extended break before reconvening for another as-yet-unannounced friendly series in October — but players will be expected to perform in the meantime.

"I said to the players in the end in the huddle, if you want to compete to win the biggest things, it's not what you do here that matters," said Hayes. "It's what you do when you go back to your club."

Seattle Storm Looks to Climb the WNBA Standings in Weekend Gauntlet

Seattle Storm star Nneka Ogwumike high-fives teammates as she's introduced before a 2025 WNBA game.
The No. 5 Seattle Storm will face No. 4 Atlanta and No. 3 New York this weekend. (Soobum Im/NBAE via Getty Images)

The 2025 WNBA regular season returns on Thursday night, with teams at the top of the league standings looking to prove their mettle against close competition across the long holiday weekend.

The No. 5 Seattle Storm have arguably the toughest weekend assignments, taking on the No. 4 Atlanta Dream on Friday before tackling the No. 3 New York Liberty on Sunday.

Four middle-of-the-pack teams will look to close in on a double-digit season win tally while the league's frontrunners strive to maintain their advantage in this weekend's slate:

  • No. 7 Las Vegas Aces vs. No. 8 Indiana Fever, Thursday at 7 PM ET (Prime): Though still without star Caitlin Clark, the Fever hope to harness their 2025 WNBA Commissioner's Cup victory momentum against an Aces side tied with Indiana with an 8-8 season record.
  • No. 5 Seattle Storm vs. No. 4 Atlanta Dream, Thursday at 7:30 PM ET (WNBA League Pass): Seattle will look to make strides against a strong Atlanta side while putting last Sunday's stinging 84-57 loss to up-and-comer Golden State in their rearview.
  • No. 6 Golden State Valkyries vs. No. 1 Minnesota Lynx, Saturday at 8 PM ET (WNBA League Pass): The rising Valkyries must face a Lynx side hunting redemption, as the league-leaders look to bounce back from their stifling Tuesday Commissioner's Cup upset loss.
  • No. 5 Seattle Storm vs. No. 3 New York Liberty, Sunday at 1 PM ET (CBS): With injured Liberty center Jonquel Jones still sidelined, the Seattle Storm will have a chance to steal a weekend game against the reigning champs, as New York struggles to re-find their footing.

With the 2025 WNBA All-Star break looming, early top performers must keep standards high if they want to hold the line when the season crosses the midway point.

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