Three top-10 teams tumbled Thursday in a historic night for upsets in women’s college basketball.

No. 4 Indiana, No. 6 NC State and No. 7 Virginia Tech all lost to unranked opponents, tied for the most such upsets in one day since at least 1999, per ESPN. Top-10 teams have lost 22 games so far this season, tied for the most at this point in a season since at least 1999.

While Thursday’s losses signal increasing parity in the sport, they also provide reasons for concern for the ranked teams involved. Just Women’s Sports ranks the three top-10 upsets from most to least concerning.

Clemson 64, No. 7 Virginia Tech 59

With the upset loss to the Tigers (10-4), the Hokies (11-2) have lost two of their last three games heading into 2023. Their first loss of the season came against No. 5 Notre Dame, which eked out a 66-63 win Thursday against unranked Miami. Clemson, meanwhile, did not receive any votes in the latest AP Top 25 poll.

Virginia Tech is still without Ashley Owusu, who broke her pinkie finger on Dec. 1, but the team’s problems ran deeper Thursday.

Star center Elizabeth Kitley, who averages 18.7 points and 11.2 rebounds per game, was held without a rebound in the first half. The Tigers entered halftime with a double-digit lead and withstood a second-half comeback attempt from the Hokies.

After the game, Virginia Tech coach Kenny Brooks called on Kitley to play like the high-profile player she is. The senior, projected as a No. 2 draft pick in our 2023 WNBA mock draft, took just seven shots in the game.

“We just didn’t play well at all,” he said.

Top-10 feeling. pic.twitter.com/ODBEL248ht

— Clemson Women's Basketball (@ClemsonWBB) December 30, 2022

Michigan State 83, No. 4 Indiana 78

Turnovers sunk the Hoosiers (12-1) in their first loss of the season, which leaves just five unbeaten teams in Division I.

“They had 28 points off our turnovers,” Indiana coach Teri Moren said. “That’s the storyline right there.”

While Indiana did give up a season-high 21 turnovers, one sloppy game should not ring too many alarm bells, particularly when it comes against Michigan State (9-5), which had forced 29.3 turnovers per game entering Thursday.

Still, the Hoosiers will need to learn to handle defensive pressure, as the Spartans disrupted the flow of Indiana’s offense throughout the game.

Senior forward Mackenzie Holmes scored a career-high 32 points, but Indiana went 3-for-12 from 3-point range. The team is still missing senior point guard Grace Berger, who has been sidelined with a knee injury since late November.

UPSET 🚨

Michigan State hands No. 4 Indiana their first loss of the season with a 83-78 home win. pic.twitter.com/LhYfM1EMyY

— Just Women’s Sports (@justwsports) December 29, 2022

Duke 72, No. 6 NC State 58

This in-state rivalry contest looked more like a coming-out party for Duke (12-1) than a crushing loss for NC State (11-2).

The Blue Devils led for 29 minutes, including the entire second half. They already received points in the most recent AP poll, and this win could be enough to put them in the rankings come Monday.

“We just stayed focused and locked in and didn’t allow the emotions of the game to overtake our execution,” Duke coach Kara Lawson said. “That’s big growth for us. We haven’t been in a lot of close games yet this year, so you never really know how your team is going to react in close-game situation or really important possessions in the fourth quarter. So I’m pleased with how we executed there.”

NC State shot just 34.4 percent from the field, and while they won the rebound battle 36-33, they finished with just five assists. Their offense is still adjusting to the absence of Diamond Johnson, who injured her ankle on Dec. 11.

✅ Top 10 road win
✅ Best start since 2016
✅ Closed 1H on a 22-2 run#KaraEra pic.twitter.com/POC0rnDJoP

— Duke Women’s Basketball (@DukeWBB) December 30, 2022

USWNT stalwart Alex Morgan will miss at least one week of NWSL action after suffering a left ankle knock in her last club appearance, Wave manager Casey Stoney said on Thursday.

Morgan was helped off the field after rolling her ankle in the later stages of the Wave’s 1-0 loss to the Orlando Pride last weekend, despite the San Diego side being out of available substitutes.

“She's got an ankle injury and she's out for this weekend, and then it'll be week by week from there,” Stoney said, confirming that Morgan’s been ruled out for Saturday’s showdown with NWSL newcomer Bay FC.

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Depending on its severity, Morgan’s ankle issue might have larger ramifications than missing a few weeks of NSWL play. Morgan was added to the team's Gold Cup roster after an ACL injury sidelined young striker Mia Fishel, and she's since made a number of USWNT starts in the team's Gold Cup and SheBelieves wins. A long-term injury could potentially derail the center forward’s Olympic plans.

With her return timeline uncertain, it's possible the injury could also impact Morgan's ability to participate in new head coach Emma Hayes' first U.S. friendlies in June and July.

Morgan's injury concerns aren't uncommon in the U.S. player pool, but add a sense of urgency as Hayes eyes the NWSL for top-performing players in the upcoming weeks. Gotham's Tierna Davidson and Rose Lavelle have also been dealing with injuries: Lavelle has yet to appear for Gotham, while Davidson exited last weekend's match early with a hamstring injury.

Gotham has yet to issue an update concerning Davidson's status.

This week, legendary Brazilian superstar Marta announced that she’ll retire from the national team at the end of 2024.

In an interview with CNN Esportes published Thursday, the iconic footballer confirmed that she would be hanging up her boots regardless of whether or not she ends up making Brazil's 18-player roster for the 2024 Paris Olympics. 

“If I go to the Olympics, I will enjoy every moment, because regardless of whether I go to the Olympics or not, this is my last year with the national team,” she said. “There is no longer Marta in the national team as an athlete from 2025 onwards.”

Marta will retire as a giant of the women's game, having appeared in five Olympics and multiple World Cups. When discussing her retirement, she stressed confidence in the rising generation of Brazilian players, noting that she was, “very calm about this, because I see with great optimism this development that we are having in relation to young athletes." 

The statement echoes back to a plea she made during the 2019 FIFA Women’s World Cup after Brazil lost to France 2-1 in the Round of 16. “It's wanting more. It's training more. It's taking care of yourself more. It's being ready to play 90 plus 30 minutes. This is what I ask of the girls,” she said then, addressing the young players following in her footsteps. 

In 2023, she signaled a farewell to World Cup competition with the same sentiment, telling media, “We ask the new generation to continue where we left off.”

If selected for the 2024 Olympic team, Marta has a shot at extending her own consecutive-scoring record with the ability to score in an unbelievable sixth-straight Olympic Games. She currently stands as Brazil’s top goalscorer, racking up 116 career goals in 175 matches, as well as the leading goalscorer in any World Cup, women’s or men’s, with 17 to her name. 

Marta will continue to play for the NWSL’s Orlando Pride through at least the end of 2024. The longtime forward and club captain has already contributed to multiple goals this season.

U.S. Soccer announced Tuesday that the USWNT will play their last home game on July 16th in the lead-up to the 2024 Summer Olympic Games in Paris.

The 2024 Send-Off Match against Costa Rica will take place at Washington, DC’s Audi Field — home to both the Washington Spirit and DC United — at 7:30 p.m. ET on Tuesday, July 16th. The friendly rounds out a four-game Olympic run-up campaign under incoming head coach Emma Hayes’ side, with the last two set to feature the finalized 2024 U.S. Olympic Women’s Soccer Team roster.

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Hayes will appear on the USWNT sideline for the first time this June, helming the team as they embark on a two-game series against Korea Republic hosted by Dick’s Sporting Goods Park in Commerce City, Colorado on June 1st followed by Allianz Stadium in St. Paul, Minnesota on June 4th. 

The team is then scheduled to meet a talented Mexico squad on July 13th at Gotham FC’s Red Bull Arena in Harrison, New Jersey, where the Olympic-bound lineup will attempt to rewrite February’s shocking 2-0 loss to El Tri Femenil in the group stages of this year’s Concacaf W Gold Cup. And while clear roster favorites have emerged from both of this year’s Gold Cup and SheBelives Cup rosters, a spate of recent and recurring injuries means making it to the Olympics is still largely anyone’s game.

Broadcast and streaming channels for the USWNT's final July 16th friendly at Audi Field include TNT, truTV, Universo, Max, and Peacock.

The USA Basketball Women's National Team is still considering Caitlin Clark for a spot on the Paris Olympics squad, says selection committee chair Jennifer Rizzotti. 

On Monday, Rizzotti told the AP that the committee will be evaluating the college phenom’s Olympic prospects by keeping a close eye on her first few weeks of WNBA play with Indiana.

The move is somewhat unconventional. While Clark was invited to participate in the 14-player national team training camp held earlier this month — the last camp before Team USA’s roster drops — she was unable to attend due to it coinciding with Iowa’s trip to the NCAA Women’s Final Four.

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Judging by the immense talent spread throughout the league in what might be their most hyped season to date, competition for a piece of the Olympic pie could be fiercer than ever before.

"You always want to introduce new players into the pool whether it's for now or the future," said Rizzotti. "We stick to our principles of talent, obviously, positional fit, loyalty and experience. It's got to be a combination of an entire body of work. It's still not going to be fair to some people."

Of course, Clark isn’t the first rookie the committee has made exceptions for. Coming off an exceptional college season that saw her averaging 19.4 points, 8.7 rebounds, and 4 assists per game for UConn, Breanna Stewart was tapped to represent the U.S. at the 2016 Olympics in Brazil less than two weeks after being drafted No. 1 overall by the Seattle Storm. Eight years prior, fellow No. 1 pick Candace Parker punched her ticket to the 2008 Games in Beijing just two weeks after making her first appearance for the L.A. Sparks.

In the lead-up to Paris’ Opening Ceremony on July 26th, USA Basketball Women’s National Team is scheduled to play a pair of exhibition games. They'll first go up against the WNBA's finest at the July 20th WNBA All-Star Game in Phoenix before facing Germany in London on July 23rd.

While an official roster announcement date hasn’t yet been issued, players won’t find out if they’ve made this year’s Olympic cut until at least June 1st.