Women’s College Basketball

The bun is back. Along with the smile and that silky jump shot. JuJu Watkins is returning to college basketball after missing last season while rehabbing an ACL tear. The star guard who averaged 25.6 points in her first two seasons for Southern California is surrounded by a talent-laden supporting cast as the third-ranked Trojans bid for their first national championship since 1984. "It's on my mind every day," Watkins […]

Duke dug itself out of an early hole with an injury-shortened roster to win another Atlantic Coast Conference title and get within a game of the Final Four again. A bit more depth might help the fourth-ranked Blue Devils take another step this time around. Kara Lawson's Blue Devils are the preseason favorite to win the ACC, headlining a race featuring No. 7 Louisville, No. 12 North Carolina, No. 13 […]

For the better part of two decades, the Baylor women's basketball program had been the standard-bearer for the Big 12, winning three national championships under Kim Mulkey and remaining a force under her successor, Nicki Collen. The Bears haven't exactly gone away. But they're hardly alone at the top these days. TCU has won the past two regular-season titles. West Virginia is the current Big 12 Tournament champion. The preseason […]

South Carolina coach Dawn Staley doesn't think her team needs to change much from a physical standpoint this season after getting blown out the last two years in the national championship game. She knows the Gamecocks, who enter the season ranked No. 1 in the country, have more than enough talent to win a fourth national title. The mental side, well, that's a work in progress. "I think mentally is […]

What a difference a year makes. Even with the graduation of Paige Bueckers, the UConn women’s basketball program was sailing right along as another national title was well within the grasp of a team led by eventual No. 1 overall WNBA pick Azzi Fudd and AP Player of the Year Sarah Strong. It all came crashing down with a loss to South Carolina in the national semifinals. The 48 points […]

Dawn Staley has South Carolina in a familiar place, sitting at No. 1 in The Associated Press preseason Top 25 women's basketball poll. The Gamecocks received 23 first-place votes from a 31-member national media panel Tuesday. UConn, USC, Duke and Michigan round out the top five. It is the fifth time in the past seven years that Staley's team has been ranked No. 1 in the preseason. "It's a gift […]

Shea Ralph finally has Vanderbilt right where the reigning AP women's Coach of the Year is most comfortable going into her sixth season. Chasing championships. "I think every year it’s like, ‘Vanderbilt! Surprise. We’re good!' It's not a surprise," Ralph said. "We came here to be good. We came here to be great. I’m excited. This is what I’ve trained for. And I’m excited to be able to share that […]

With UCLA coming off a national title and Southern Cal going for one of its own with star Juju Watkins returning from injury, there may never have been more attention on women's basketball in Los Angeles. "If you intend to come," USC coach Lindsay Gottlieb said Wednesday at Big Ten media days, "you should probably get your tickets early." The success of the two West Coast schools has been a […]

The UCLA Bruins and UConn Huskies, who won the past two national championships, will both play in the third annual Coretta Scott King Classic this year. The Bruins, who won the NCAA title last season, will face the Oklahoma Sooners in the opener on Jan. 18. The 2025 champion Huskies will face the Seton Hall Pirates in a Big East matchup in the second game. "The Coretta Scott King Classic […]