Women's College Basketball

After bypassing the 2025 WNBA draft, Olivia Miles is going to play her final college season at TCU.

Per Talia Goodman of On3.com, Miles has committed to the Horned Frogs after entering the transfer portal following a successful four-year run at Notre Dame.

Miles had an extra year of eligibility remaining after missing the entire 2023-24 season due to a torn ACL suffered in February 2023.

B/R's Rachel Galligan projected Miles to be the No. 3 pick by the Washington Mystics in the 2025 WNBA draft before she decided to remain in college.

There's been a noticeable trend of top prospects eligible for this year's draft opting to stay in college. LSU's Flau'jae Johnson and UCLA's Lauren Betts being two of the most prominent.

Given where things stand with WNBA after players opted out of the current collective bargaining agreement, as well as the money coming into the league when the new television rights deal takes effect in 2026, rookie contracts for the incoming 2025 class are a big topic.

Colin Salao of Front Office Sports noted it's unclear if the next CBA will impact rookie contracts. If Miles had been selected with the No. 3 overall pick in 2025, she would be locked into a deal that pays her under $100,000 annually for her first three seasons.

Instead, Miles can wait an additional year to turn pro when there will likely be a resolution to the WNBA collective bargaining agreement. She also gets the chance to push a TCU team that just had the best season in program history over the top in 2025-26.

Miles, the second-ranked player in the transfer portal, was named to the All-ACC first team in each of her last three seasons. She averaged a career-high 15.4 points on 40.6 percent three-point shooting and tied for the ACC lead with 5.8 assists per game in 34 starts this season.

TCU won a program-record 34 games this season, defeating Miles and Notre Dame in the Sweet 16. The Horned Frogs' 2024-25 campaign ended with a 58-47 loss to Texas in the Elite Eight.

Miles will take over as TCU's starting point guard next season with Hailey Van Lith moving onto the WNBA.

This year's women's March Madness was one of the most popular NCAA tournaments ever.

Per ESPN, the tournament as a whole was watched for 8.5 billion minutes, making it the second-most consumed women's tournament on record.

The championship matchup between UConn and South Carolina on Sunday drew 8.5 million viewers and peaked at 9.8 million, making it the third-most watched NCAA women's national championship on ESPN's platforms.

The record for the most-watched women's title game was set last year when South Carolina took on Iowa. That game drew 18.7 million viewers and peaked with a whopping 24 million viewers. It was also the most-watched basketball game at any level for men's or women's since 2019 and the most-watched sporting event outside of the Olympics or football since 2019.

Those ratings can largely be attributed to Caitlin Clark, who was one of the most popular college athletes in recent memory when she was playing for Iowa.

The second-most-watched championship game was the 2023 title game between Angel Reese's LSU and Clark's Iowa, and that game drew 9.9 million viewers.

While this year's game didn't get quite as many viewers as the last two title games, it had 4.9 million more viewers than the 2022 championship, which also featured UConn and South Carolina. That surge in viewers is just another example of how women's college basketball has reached new heights in popularity in recent years.

The matchup between the Huskies and Gamecocks may have drawn plenty of interest, but it wasn't exactly a nail-biter. UConn led by double digits heading into the second half and managed to coast to a dominant 82-59 win.

Azzi Fudd and Sarah Strong led the way for the Huskies with 24 points each and Paige Bueckers, who is gearing up for the WNBA draft later this month, dropped 17.

There's a new addition to UConn's women's basketball facilities.

Huskies star Paige Bueckers revealed the team's national championship banner on her Instagram on Monday following UConn's win over South Carolina in the title game.

"National champ is crazy," she wrote.

The banner hanging in UConn's facilities likely isn't the one that will go in the rafters at Gampel Pavilion. The team will presumably have a ceremony later on raising the new banner alongside the 11 other championship banners.

The win for UConn marks the Huskies' first national championship since they won four straight from 2013 to 2016. Since its last title, UConn had reached the Final Four six times and made the championship game once in 2022 but couldn't get over the hump of winning it all.

Now, Geno Auriemma's Huskies have their 12th national championship, the most of any program by a wide margin. The closest team to UConn is Tennessee, which has eight titles but hasn't won since 2008.

The Huskies' journey to the title wasn't easy as they had to face three No. 1 seeds (USC, UCLA and South Carolina) to win it. Despite being the only No. 2 seed to make the Final Four, UConn was clearly the best team. The Huskies won their Final Four matchup against UCLA 85-51 before downing the defending champion Gamecocks 82-59.

While UConn has had some impressive championship runs in the past, it's hard to argue that this year's wasn't the most impressive.

Bueckers is now off to the WNBA, where she'll almost certainly be the No. 1 pick, but she will likely be back in town when it's time to raise the official banner.

UConn's Geno Auriemma won 11 championships before the NIL era, and now he's won his first of the NIL era.

But even after downing South Carolina to win his first title since 2016, the Huskies' head coach voiced his frustration with the current landscape of college athletics.

"What makes it hard is, in the NBA, they have a free agency period of time. This is when you can talk to free agents, this is when you can sign them," he said on the Dan Patrick Show. "Our free agency is the whole year and every kid... Every kid's a free agent, every day, the whole year... And then the portal opens during the NCAA tournament. Can you imagine the NBA playoffs and free agency is going on during the playoffs? It's insanity... Don't even get me started on the money. Some of the money I hear that programs have to spend... It's out of hand, man. It's out of hand."

College football sees the highest NIL deals with top players like Texas' Arch Manning, Miami's Carson Beck and Ohio State's Jeremiah Smith having NIL valuations of more than $4 million, per On3. Still, basketball has some high earners as well. On3 gives Duke's Cooper Flagg a valuation of $4.8 million and LSU's Flau'jae Johnson a $1.5 million valuation.

The NIL era has its positives, as players are finally being rewarded for the money they generate for their respective schools, but there have been some consequences as a result.

One such consequence is that bigger schools have an advantage over smaller schools with lower NIL budgets. Before the Final Four, Auriemma suggested NIL that directly paying players would result in less parity in college basketball.

"It will ruin parity," Auriemma told reporters. "That's number one. I'm for revenue sharing. (But) there will be less parity in the game of basketball."

There was already little parity in this year's NCAA tournament on both the men's and women's sides. The men's tournament saw an all-No. 1 seed Final Four for the first time since 2008, while the women's Final Four included three No. 1 seeds and one No. 2 seed in UConn.

With universities on the brink of winning a settlement against the NCAA that would allow them to pay athletes directly, Auriemma's warning about a lack of parity could become reality.

Connecticut was the unanimous No. 1 pick in the final Associated Press Top 25 poll to close out the 2024-25 season.

The Huskies received all 31 first-place votes following their dominant 82-59 victory over South Carolina in the national championship game. The Gamecocks stayed at No. 2, with UCLA, Texas and USC rounding out the top five.

Week 21 AP Top 25

1. UConn

2. South Carolina

3. UCLA

4. Texas

5. USC

6. TCU

7. Duke

8. LSU

9. North Carolina State

10. Notre Dame

11. Oklahoma

12. Maryland

13. Kansas State

14. North Carolina

15. Tennessee

16. Kentucky

17. Ole Miss

18. Baylor

19. Ohio State

20. Alabama

21. West Virginia

22. Florida State

23. South Dakota State

24. Oklahoma State

25. Michigan

Maryland, Kansas State and Ole Miss were all big movers in the newest poll thanks to their March Madness success. They all reached the Sweet 16, resulting in the Terps and Wildcats climbing six spots and the Rebels moving up eight.

Oklahoma State, on the other hand, paid a high price for its first-round exit at the hands of South Dakota State. The Cowgirls slipped seven slots to 24th.

At no point this year did UConn sit atop the AP poll. The Huskies opened at No. 2 behind reigning champion South Carolina. The fell as low as No. 7 before working their way back to third before the NCAA tournament tipped off.

By the time the Big Dance ended, nobody disputed UConn's status as the best team in women's basketball. Sunday's blowout concluded an incredible run in which it had an average margin of victory of 32.8 points.

Guards Azzi Fudd and Paige Bueckers combined to score 41 points against the Gamecocks, with Fudd being named the Most Outstanding Player. Freshman forward Sarah Strong had a double-double (24 points and 15 rebounds), and fans are already positing she'll follow Bueckers as the next program legend.

On defense, the Huskies held South Carolina to 34.4 percent shooting, including 4-of-16 on three-pointers. Dawn Staley's squad looked flummoxed in a way rarely seen since it asserted itself among the nation's elite.

UConn may not be going anywhere in 2025-26, either, despite Bueckers moving on to the WNBA. Fudd and Strong are both returning, and Bueckers' exit might allow sophomores KK Arnold and Ashlynn Shade to shine with bigger roles.

Head coach Geno Auriemma will have the talent to fuel a possible repeat bid.

UConn Huskies women's basketball coach Geno Auriemma became the oldest coach to win a Division I basketball title in either the men's or women's sports following the team's 12th championship on Sunday.

"Well, all those other coaches had the good sense to not stick around until they were 71," Auriemma said, per ESPN's Michael Voepel following the 82-59 win over the South Carolina Gamecocks.

With a March birthday, Auriemma was 71 years and 14 days old at the time of the victory on Sunday. The previous record for the oldest winning coach in women's Division I basketball was held by Stanford's Tara VanDerveer, who won the title in 2021 at 67 years and 282 days old. In men's Division I, the oldest winning coach was UConn's Jim Calhoun, who was 68 years and 329 days old when his team won in 2011.

The UConn coach secured his 12th championship since taking over the Huskies in 1985, but this is his first title since 2016, when Breanna Stewart's incredible tenure at UConn ended with four consecutive championships.

"There was a big part of my inner circle of people that I trust that were hoping that after the Stewie fourth in a row that I should have called it a day back then," Auriemma continued, per Voepel. "That would have been apropos, I guess -- ride off into the sunset."

"But ... you make the decision you're not finished yet, and then three, four years go by, and people start telling you that UConn is not UConn anymore and it's somebody else's turn. And then five years go by, and six years go by, and seven years go by," Auriemma said, per Voepel.

Little did Auriemma know that he would come across the incredible Paige Bueckers in 2020, who would go on to be the 2021 Naismith Award winner, 2021 AP Player of the Year, 2021 Wooden Award winner, 2025 Wade Trophy winner and three-time First Team AP All-American.

As the all-time winningest coach in college basketball history (1,250-165), with 24 Final Four appearances and a 12-1 record in championship games, Auriemma has experienced a lot and is beginning to admit that his journey has been a remarkable one.

"We all feel our age at some point," Auriemma said, per Voepel. "We don't like to admit that we're older because we still act younger because of the people that we're dealing with. A lot of my friends that are my age that haven't done what I've done with who I've done it with ... they look way older, act way older. Because they've lost the ability to be a kid because they're not around kids."

Hanging around young players has helped keep Auriemma feeling young, but he acknowledges that there will come a point when the decision to step away will be "out of his hands."

"So, yeah, I may be 71 number-wise, but I think otherwise I'm more able to do stuff with those young people because I'm around them every day and they rub off on me," Auriemma said, per Voepel. "Does that mean I can do this for another X number of years? No, because, you know, wine is good for you, too, and if you're around it all the time, after a while you wake up and you go, 'That was really bad, I had too much fun.'"

For now, the future is on hold as Auriemma and the Huskies celebrate their national championship.

South Carolina Gamecocks women's basketball head coach Dawn Staley praised the UConn Huskies' performance in their 82-59 NCAA title win, saying the Huskies did a "masterful job."

"Much respect to UConn, they did a masterful job in executing on both sides of the basketball," Staley told reporters after the game.

Staley and the Gamecocks were limited to no more than 17 points in any quarter as the Huskies put on a defensive clinic, outscoring them 46-33 in the second half.

"They flat out beat us," Staley continued. "We tried to throw a lot at them, and they rose about it all. That's what happens when you have super-talented players. We've been on the other side of it, so we get it."

The Gamecocks were aiming for back-to-back national titles after winning the 2024 championship behind Staley and current WNBA star Kamilla Cardoso but fell short, suffering their first-ever loss in an NCAA Championship game.

UConn star Paige Bueckers finished with 17 points, while freshman Sarah Strong and senior Azzi Fudd each added 24 as the Huskies captured their 12th national title.

For South Carolina, only two players reached double figures—Joyce Edwards and Tessa Johnson—both coming off the bench with 10 points each.

Though the Gamecocks defeated the Huskies for the national title in 2022, Staley acknowledged the consistent talent that flows through the UConn program as they have remained the "standard" to beat.

"UConn's been the standard," Staley said. "Any time you can get any wins you are breaking into moving ahead in the game. ... They had the better team this year. You don't always win when you have the better team, but they did this year, and that's what you're supposed to do."

Although Staley was unable to secure her fourth NCAA Championship with South Carolina on Sunday, the Gamecocks will hopefully have a strong group of returners next season, with just four seniors on the roster this year.

Vanessa Bryant shared a heartfelt message after UConn beat South Carolina to win the women's college basketball national title on Sunday.

The widow of the legendary Kobe Bryant said her late daughter, Gigi Bryant, "would've love" celebrating a national championship alongside Geno Auriemma and the Huskies.

"Gigi would've loved being there with you," she wrote on Instagram.

She added a quote from Gigi: "When you think you can't, UCONN."

Gigi, who was 13 when she tragically died in 2020, was widely anticipated to join UConn when the time came. Her father said she was "hellbent" on playing for the Huskies.

After Gigi's passing, UConn paid homage to the rising star, leaving a spot for her on the bench with her jersey.

Paige Bueckers, who led UConn to its first championship since 2016 on Sunday, honored Gigi before the start of the 2023-24 season by wearing her quote on a t-shirt.

Unfortunately, Gigi never got the chance to play for UConn, but those around the program were likely thinking of her on Sunday.

Paige Bueckers ended her collegiate career with a win in the national championship on Sunday and now the UConn star is preparing for her first season in the WNBA.

While she'll be playing at a much higher level with more talent, Bueckers has what it takes to succeed in the professional ranks, according to Caitlin Clark.

"I think her poise, that's something you need coming into the W," Clark said on the Bird and Turasi telecast of UConn vs. South Carolina (2:50 mark). "It all hits you so fast, you're moving to a new city, you're trying to understand new teammates, you have a new coach while you're trying to live up to all these expectations, and I think that's one of the greatest things about her game is just her poise and her maturity and nothing ever seems to phase her. She's always the same constant leader."

Bueckers, a Player of the Year award winner and three-time All-American, has shown that she has what it takes to succeed on the court over the last few years. She averaged 19.9 points, 4.7 rebounds and 4.6 assists over her four years at UConn, including 20 points, 4.7 assists and 4.4 rebounds while shooting 53.9 percent from the field and 42.4 percent from deep this season.

While Clark commended Bueckers' poise, she also recognized her WNBA-ready talent.

"She can score on all three levels," she said. "She finished well around the rim, her midrange game is some of the best I've honestly ever seen and she can score from the three-point line too. And then she can play point guard, but she can also play off the ball."

Just like last year when the Indiana Fever selected Clark first overall, there's a clear choice for the first pick this year, and it's Bueckers. The Dallas Wings hold the first selection and will almost certainly use it to select the Huskies star. The draft is just over a week away on April 14.

After the draft, Bueckers will have a month to get acclimated before the season starts in mid-May. If Clark's evaluation of Bueckers is right, she should have no trouble finding success early on in her career.

At long last, Paige Bueckers is a national champion.

The UConn star, who has carved out a historic career but lacked a championship, led the Huskies to a dominant 82-59 win over South Carolina in the title game on Sunday. When she checked out for the last time, she and head coach Geno Auriemma shared a long embrace.

Auriemma revealed his message to Bueckers after the game in an interview with ESPN's Holly Rowe.

"I love you. That's all I could say. I love you," Auriemma said.

Bueckers subsequently shared what she told her a coach in the moment:

Bueckers also shared an emotional moment after the win with her teammate Azzi Fudd, who has been with her since 2021.

Auriemma and Bueckers have had a long journey together. Before even arriving on UConn's campus, Bueckers had dreams of winning titles with the Huskies.

"As a kid, UConn was my dream school," she said after committing to UConn in 2019, per ESPN's Walter Villa. "Seeing them win all those national titles and then visiting campus and seeing them up close, it was everything I've dreamed of and more."

Bueckers had a phenomenal start to her career, winning Naismith Player of the Year as a freshman when she averaged 20 points, 5.7 assists and 4.9 rebounds per game, leading UConn to the Final Four. She then helped lead the Huskies to the title game in 2022, but they came up short against South Carolina.

After her impressive freshman and sophomore seasons, disaster struck for Bueckers as she tore her ACL before the start of the 2022-23 season, forcing her to miss the entire year.

She bounced back last season by putting up 21.9 points per game and taking UConn to the Final Four once again.

Now, after years of getting close but never hoisting the trophy, Bueckers is a national champion and joins the likes of Maya Moore, Breanna Stewart Diana Taurasi in UConn history.