January is one of the busiest months on the women’s basketball calendar. Conference play is accelerating in college basketball while WNBA free agency talks begin in a few weeks. Unrivaled, the 3×3 league co-founded by WNBA stars Napheesa Collier And Breanna Stewartdebuts this month.
Readers submitted so many interesting questions about all three categories, so given all the goings-on around women’s basketball, I tried to cover all aspects of the sport in our first mailer of 2025.
According to the staff, what do the players like Paige Bueckers Or Kiki Iriafen what will the draft do this year? Would it be possible to see talent at the top of the draft forgo the draft to come during the 2026 WNBA season to take advantage of the new CBA? — N’namdi G.
My colleague Sabreena Merchant made a bold prediction on our podcast this week: Buckers will not declare for the 2025 WNBA Draft. She argued that, among other factors, Bueckers would lock herself into a lower rookie deal than she would otherwise sign under a new CBA in 2026 if she turned professional at that time -there.
Even so, I still think the Bueckers will enter the 2025 WNBA Draft no matter how UConn fares in the NCAA tournament. Part of the reason is that college basketball is still competitively satisfying and an understanding that the Bueckers may feel ready to take on another skill-level challenge. For example, it was interesting to hear Caitlin Clark recently discussed in an interview in Time magazine and on the New Heights Podcast the differences between college basketball and the professional game. She told Time: “Professional players and coaches – this is no disrespect to women’s college basketball – are much smarter. I love women’s college basketball. But if you look back and look at the way people looked after me in college, it’s almost worrying. A year later, I wonder if Bueckers will have the same revelation.
Concerning Iriafen, the USC forward does not benefit from an additional year of eligibility. At this point, the most interesting question about her is whether she’ll slide a bit in the draft. Notre Dame guard Olivia Miles (assuming she goes pro) serves as a potentially perfect point guard complement to recent The Sparks of Los Angeles conscripts Rickea Jackson And Cameron Brink. Considering the way Miles has played — a career-high 16.9 points, an ACC-leading 7.1 assists and 6.8 rebounds per game with a 47.8 3-point percentage — I would lean towards her over Iriafen at #2.
It feels like the momentum of last year’s women’s basketball season has stalled, despite better teams, more exciting matchups and increased talent across the board. What do you think are the reasons for this? How much of this depends on media coverage and what role do fans play in maintaining this momentum? -Well. L
This is a very fair question, and there is no definitive way to answer it. But here are two thoughts that came to mind: For starters, the pro game has remained relevant to fans deeper into the calendar than ever before due to exciting WNBA Finals, the CBA opt-out, turnover of coaches and now a match without equal. Perhaps the long tail of all this has come at the expense of early- and mid-season interest in college basketball, even after an exciting 2023-24 season.
More broadly, though, we’ll be able to answer your question more definitively in March and April depending on how much interest there is in the women’s NCAA tournament. Keep in mind that the 2023-24 regular season averaged just under 500,000 viewers for games on ESPN and ABC, a sharp decline from the NCAA Tournament ratings. And despite it being the most-watched college regular season since 2017-18, ESPN said its growth was only 7% year-over-year. Its flagship match of the regular season attracted 1.6 million viewers (South Carolina against LSU in late January), but only two regular season games averaged more than a million viewers. This season, UConn-Notre was ESPN’s most-watched college basketball game, peaking at 915,000 viewers in ESPN’s largest pre-January women’s basketball audience since 2011.
I cite the regular season data to highlight that it’s a little too early to talk about a significant regression or slowdown in interest in women’s college basketball. The regular season numbers we have are closer to last season than you might think. I don’t think the women’s final will be a challenge to be among the 100 most watched television programs as was the case in 2024, but the buzz should also pick up in February and March.
Among the remaining undefeated behind UCLAwho is the most convincing? -Rich J.
What are the most interesting “sleeper” teams to pay attention to this season (i.e. the unnamed teams) U.S.C.UCLA, South Carolina, Notre Dame, Texasor UConn)? -Kathleen R.
I’m going to curate a dormant conference to watch now that the calendar has moved to 2025: the Big-12. Kansas State‘s non-conference schedule pales in comparison to other Top 25 programs, but the No. 12 Wildcats (15-1) are one of two programs nationally (Texas being the other) in the top 10 in terms of offense and defense. They face No. 22 Utah on Wednesday night in just their second Top 25 game of the season. Other Big-12 schools TCU And Oklahoma State are also worth keeping an eye on.
Ohio State has long-term dormant potential and is one of five programs remaining undefeated. The Buckeyes are off to a 14-0 start as their depth and style of play continue to overwhelm their opponents. Oregon transfer Chance Gray has been impressive, averaging a career-high 16 points per game in his first year in Columbus, and showing the explosiveness of a Freshman of the Year candidate. Jaloni Cambridge make this year’s Buckeyes particularly dangerous. The start of their conference slate has a few games to watch (circle the game against another undefeated program). Maryland on Jan. 23), but how Ohio State actually stacks up against this year’s elite competition will become more apparent as time goes on. Five of the Buckeyes’ last eight games are against ranked opponents.
Do you think Nneka (Ogumike) will stay with the Storm? -Bryan R.
As WNBA free agency gets underway, what big moves do you anticipate will happen? -Brad T.
My answer will reveal why I grouped these two questions together. If I predict one bold move, it’s Ogwumike leaving the Seattle Storm after one season and signing with the Valkyries of the Golden State to end his career. Play alongside Jewell Loyd And Skylar Diggins Smith was the heart of Seattle’s field during his last offseason. Now with Loyd’s future with the Storm in questionOgwumike might be inclined to look elsewhere. Golden State represents another well-resourced franchise – one expansion team looking to create a solid foundation for years to come. Maybe Golden State can lure Ogwumike with this pitch: With the Valkyries, the nine-time All-Star will be the anchor on both ends of the court. She could shape a culture that would outlast her playing career whenever she decided to retire playing with a franchise willing to invest in high-level player experience. Plus, she could stay on the West Coast and earn maximum salary.
Will it be covered by the Unrivaled 3v3 league? What do you expect from the new league and who do you think will excel in this format? —Erik P.
Yes! We’ll definitely be covering Unrivaled, and we’ll have a number of stories coming out at and around its launch next week. Players are excited about its inaugural season and early reviews of the setup are positive. WNBA veteran and Mist Basketball Club guard Courtney Vandersloot said the league treated players “like first-class athletes.” The game should be fast and fluid. Players will be constantly tested defensively, as it is difficult to help in the format without allowing open shots for others.
Versatile wings and forwards should excel in this format. Think Satou Sabally, Rhyne HowardBreanna Stewart and Napheesa Collier. Players with previous FIBA 3×3 experience should also have early success due to their familiarity with the format (although there are differences between Olympic half-court 3×3 and 3 ×3 complete modified) and their knowledge of what it takes to succeed in 3×3. ×3.
Can you explain the conference realignment for dummies? Why did this happen and how do you think it affects top teams? I know this is a can of worms question, but you all talk about it a lot and I would like more context. — Anonymous U.
Everyone is still adjusting to the fact that Cal and EMS now play in the Atlantic Coast Conference, and that UCLA and Oregon are conference foes, only now in the Big Ten. Traditional rivalries have dissipated in college sports, including women’s basketball. In short, in an effort to maximize television revenue (and particularly college football revenue), schools across the country have made changes to their conferences. In 2023, Stuart Mandel de ‘s detailed more than one century of realignment in college football – the changes largely apply to college basketball as well – and here’s a data visualization I often return to that illustrates all recent movements.
Two quick hitters to close:
Which ACC teams emerge to challenge Notre Dame? -Warren B.
With all due respect to the undefeated Georgia Tech, Duke is still the Fighting Irish’s biggest challenger.
Which WNBA team will take the biggest step forward and which team do you think will take a step back next season? — N’namdi G.
Take this with a grain of salt heading into free agency. Biggest step forward: Indiana fever. The biggest setback: Connecticut Sunshine or the Seattle storm.
This article was originally published in Athletics.
Seattle Storm, USC Trojans, Notre Dame Fighting Irish, Kansas State Wildcats, Ohio State Buckeyes, Connecticut Huskies, WNBA, Women’s College Basketball
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