Women's College Basketball

South Carolina's Dawn Staley is one of four finalists for Naismith Coach of the Year in women's basketball.

TCU's Mark Campbell, UCLA's Cori Close and USC's Lindsay Gottlieb will try to derail Staley's four-peat.

Doing so won't be easy when the Gamecocks went 30-3 in the regular season and were crowned SEC champions. They've hardly missed a beat despite losing Kamilla Cardoso, the Most Outstanding Player in the 2024 NCAA tournament, to the WNBA.

Forwards Joyce Edwards and Chloe Kitts and guard MiLaysia Fulwiley are all averaging double figures in scoring.

Edwards is putting up 13.2 points, 4.9 rebounds and 0.5 blocks despite primarily coming off the bench. With the true freshman, Staley may have another elite frontcourt standout to follow in the footsteps of Cardoso, A'ja Wilson and Aliyah Boston.

South Carolina sits No. 2 in the AP Top 25 and Coaches Poll, though, and that's notable when Close's UCLA squad is atop both.

The Bruins had little trouble adapting to life in the Big Ten. Although they had the second-best record in the conference (16-2), they avenged their pair of defeats to USC by beating the Trojans in the Big Ten title game.

Close has helped to oversee arguably the most balanced team in the country. UCLA is sixth in field-goal percentage (48.3) and fifth in opponent field-goal percentage (34.9).

Junior center Lauren Betts has put herself into the No. 1 pick conversation for the 2026 WNBA draft. She's averaging 19.7 points, 9.7 rebounds and a Big Ten-high 2.9 blocks.

Across town, USC has taken another step forward in its quest for a first national championship since 1984.

Gottlieb didn't sit back in the offseason and coast knowing standout freshman JuJu Watkins was returning. She signed forward Kiki Iriafen and guard Talia von Oelhoffen out of the transfer portal, and Iriafen has particularly made a big difference for the Trojans. The former Stanford star is averaging 18.0 points and 8.4 boards, and her presence has helped to ease the offensive burden on Watkins.

When it comes to Gottlieb's Naismith candidacy, USC's two wins over UCLA and a regular-season Big Ten title could prove decisive.

Should he come out on top, Campbell would be rewarded for executing one of the biggest turnarounds in Division I.

Campbell arrived after TCU notched 14 combined victories between the 2021-22 and 2022-23 seasons The Horned Frogs went 21-12 in his first year before winning the most games in program history (33).

Seniors Hailey Van Lith, Sedona Prince and Madison Conner all joined TCU through the transfer portal, and they've all become key players for Campbell. Van Lith in particular was a massive addition, having rebounded in a big way following an underwhelming 2023-24 campaign at LSU.

Of the four finalists, Campbell has the lowest-ranked team, yet a case could be made he has performed the best coaching job relative to preseason expectations.

The Oklahoma women's basketball team repeatedly crashed the glass on Saturday.

The Sooners pulled down 72 rebounds as a team during an 81-58 first-round March Madness victory over FGCU, representing a new NCAA tournament single-game record.

Oklahoma head coach Jennie Baranczyk, who reached 100 career wins with the program, detailed her team's dominance on the boards.

"A lot of missed shots," Baranczyk joked, per ESPN's Michael Voepel. "It was a game of pace -- that's part of it, where both teams are really getting up and down. The 23 offensive rebounds means we missed quite a few, but at least we were there to cover them up."

Junior forward Raegan Beers led the way with a game-high 18 rebounds to go along with 25 points on 10-of-20 shooting. Sophomore Sahara Williams pulled down 10 rebounds of her own while dishing out five assists.

Beers and Williams combined to secure more rebounds (28) than FGCU's entire starting lineup (24).

Seniors Skylar Vann and Liz Scott chipped in with nine and seven rebounds, respectively.

"I knew this could be my last game," Vann said, via Voepol. "I just told myself before the game started, just play with joy. I think we did that, especially in the fourth quarter."

Despite Oklahoma's success on the glass, FGCU only trailed by eight points with five minutes left in the fourth quarter. The Sooners ended the game on a 19-4 run to seal the victory, though.

Oklahoma entered the tournament with a 25-7 record due to its rebounding prowess, ranking No. 1 among Power 4 conference teams and No. 2 in the country by averaging 46.6 rebounds per game.

The Sooners will look to continue their momentum during a second-round matchup with Iowa on Monday.

USC star JuJu Watkins seemed unconcerned after getting banged up during the Trojans' 71-25 win over UNC Greensboro in the first round of the 2025 NCAA women's basketball tournament on Saturday.

When asked about hand and ankle injuries she appeared to suffer during the game, Watkins told reporters: "End of the season knickknacks. Small things, maintenance things. Regardless, nobody cares. I'll just continue to do what I do."

Despite missing some time in the second half after rolling her ankle, Watkins finished with a game-high 22 points on 8-of-17 shooting to go along with eight rebounds, three steals and two assists.

Starting during the first quarter, Watkins appeared to be favoring her left hand or wrist, although it didn't impact her play, as she scored 11 points in the first half:

Watkins was sporting a wrap on her hand after halftime, but she took the wrap off early in the third quarter, according to SI.com's Bryan Fischer.

Later in the third, Watkins seemed to roll her ankle while driving to the basket. She stayed in the game and made a three-pointer before briefly going to the locker room and then returning to the bench.

Although she could have sat out for the remainder of the game with USC leading by 37 after three quarters, she returned to the game in the fourth and made a basket to increase her scoring output to 22.

The sophomore guard has been a dominant force this season, averaging 24.6 points, 6.9 rebounds, 3.5 steals, 2.2 steals and 1.9 blocks per game, thus making her a leading candidate for the Naismith Women's College Player of the Year Award.

She is also the biggest reason why USC earned a No. 1 seed in the tourney and is among the top contenders to win a national championship.

It became clear during Saturday's game that the Trojans can ill afford to be without Watkins, as only one other USC player scored in double figures against UNC Greensboro.

Also, USC shot only 37.5 percent as a team, which won't be good enough when the opponents get tougher for the remainder of the tournament.

Even though she may have been at less than 100 percent Saturday, Watkins still went 8-of-17 from the field and dominated the game at times, which may be a sign that she can fight through it and perform at a high level moving forward.

Watkins and the Trojans will be back in action for their second-round matchup Monday against either No. 8 California or No. 9 Mississippi State.

Superstar sophomore guard and the top-seeded USC Trojans defeated the No. 16 UNC Greensboro Spartans 71-25 in the first round of the 2025 NCAA women's basketball tournament on Saturday.

Playing at USC's Galen Center in Los Angeles, the Trojans smothered the Spartans defensively, holding them to 13.0 percent shooting in the game.

USC struggled offensively in its own right, shooting just 37.5 percent from the field and 21.4 percent from three-point range, but it was more than enough given UNC Greensboro's cold shooting.

As is usually the case, Watkins was the catalyst behind the Trojans' success, finishing with a game-high 22 points to go along with eight rebounds, three steals and two assists despite seemingly getting banged up with hand and ankle injuries during the first and second halves, respectively.

On the heels of another strong performance by the Naismith Women's College Player of the Year candidate, fans gave Watkins her proverbial flowers on social media:

There was some concern regarding Watkins' health during the first half, as she began nursing her left hand or wrist during the first quarter, as pointed out by ESPN Los Angeles:

Despite that, Watkins played big minutes in the first half and was by far USC's top performer with 11 points, while no other Trojans player had more than five points in the opening half.

Watkins was wearing a wrap on her hand to start the second half, but she took it off shortly thereafter, per SI.com's Bryan Fischer:

The ailment didn't seem to impact Watkins much, as she took over the game in the third quarter, scoring nine points.

However, Watkins rolled her ankle during a drive to the basket late in the third quarter. She stayed in the game and made a three-pointer before heading to the locker room and then returning to the bench shortly thereafter.

Despite the Trojans leading by 37 after three quarters, Watkins still returned to play in the fourth, which suggests the injury was only minor.

Entering Saturday's game, USC was the No. 4-ranked team in the nation with a 28-3 record, so it came as no surprise that UNC Greensboro was unable to keep up.

The competition will get considerably tougher in the second round when Watkins and the Trojans face either No. 8 California or No. 9 Mississippi State.

Led by Paige Bueckers, Azzi Fudd and Sarah Strong, the second-seeded UConn Huskies crushed the No. 15-seeded Arkansas State Red Wolves 103-34 in the first round of the NCAA women's basketball tournament on Saturday.

Bueckers, who is among the leading National Women's Player of the Year candidates, finished with 11 points, four assists, two steals and two blocks, but Fudd and Strong were the Huskies' biggest stars Saturday at the Gampel Pavilion in Storrs, Connecticut.

Fudd recorded a game-high 27 points to go along with seven assists and six steals, while Strong had 20 points, 12 rebounds, five assists and five steals.

Per ESPN's Alexa Philippou, Fudd's first-half line was the first such line in a single half of a women's tourney game in six years, while no player in the past 25 years had a line matching Strong's production:

UConn entered halftime with a 66-16 lead, marking the largest advantage at the half in an NCAA tournament game in the past seven years:

With four players scoring in double figures, including three with 20 points or more, the Huskies were in full control of the game from start to finish.

Overall, UConn shot 58.8 percent from the field as a team and held Arkansas State to 17.1 percent shooting, yielding a ton of praise from fans on social media:

Saturday's performance continued the good vibes for UConn basketball after the men's team defeated Oklahoma in the first round of the NCAA tournament 67-59 on Friday.

The men's team won its 13th consecutive NCAA tournament game by beating Oklahoma, but it was widely viewed as a 50-50 game going in since they were a No. 8 seed.

There were no such expectations of a close game for the women's team against a small-conference school in Arkansas State.

While the UConn women's team has not won a national title since 2016, it has reached at least the second round of the tournament every year it has been held since 1994.

The Huskies have also made it to the Final Four in 15 of the past 16 tournaments, and they are well on their way to doing it again this year.

Since both Bueckers and Fudd are seniors, they will undoubtedly have a sense of urgency to go even deeper in the tourney and win their 12th championship in program history.

By virtue of Saturday's win, UConn will move on to face the winner of No. 7 Oklahoma State vs. No. 10 South Dakota State in the second round.

USC's JuJu Watkins and UConn's Paige Bueckers were among the Associated Press' first-team All-America squad for the 2024-25 season.

Notre Dame's Hannah Hidalgo, UCLA's Lauren Betts and Texas' Madison Booker filled out the five slots. Watkins, Betts and Bueckers were all unanimous selections.

First Team All-America

JuJu Watkins, G, USC

Hannah Hidalgo, G, Notre Dame

Paige Bueckers, G, UConn

Lauren Betts, C, UCLA

Madison Booker, F, Texas

Second Team All-America

Aneesah Morrow, F, LSU

Sarah Strong, F, UConn

Ta'Niya Latson, G, Florida State

Olivia Miles, G, Notre Dame

Georgia Amoore, G, Kentucky

Third Team All-America

Kiki Iriafen, F, USC

Hailey Van Lith, G, TCU

Mikayla Blakes, G, Vanderbilt

Flau'jae Johnson, G, LSU

Audi Crooks, C, Iowa State

Watkins and Hidalgo were revelations as true freshmen and have waged a compelling head-to-head battle for player of the year as sophomores.

They rank second and fourth respectively in scoring at 24.6 and 24.2 points, and there's little separation in the polls with USC sitting fourth and Notre Dame in eighth heading into the NCAA tournament.

Hidalgo did get the better off Watkins back in November, when the Fighting Irish beat the Trojans 74-61 in Los Angeles. The two stars scored 24 points apiece.

Bueckers, meanwhile, is in what's likely her final college season and closing out her Huskies career on a high. She's averaging 19.0 points, 4.5 rebounds, 4.9 assists, and 2.0 steals.

UConn is seeded second in the Spokane 4 region, setting up a potential matchup with Watkins and USC in the Elite Eight. That would be quite the hurdle for Bueckers in her quest for a national title.

Betts has nearly averaged a double-double (19.6 points and 9.7 rebounds) for the second year in a row, and she's fifth nationally in blocks with 2.9 per contest. Looking all the way ahead to the 2026 WNBA draft, the Bruins big might be the early favorite the No. 1 overall pick.

Booker is another member of what could be a historic 2023 freshman class with Watkins and Hidalgo. A second-team All-American in 2023-24, she averaged 16.2 points and 6.6 rebounds, and her three-point percentage improved from 30.6 to 43.9.