Swish Appeal
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The fully-loaded Mikayla Blakes experience has begun for No. 19 Vanderbilt
No. 19 Vanderbilt, debuting in Paris against a feisty Cal team, escaped France with a 74-65 win. While they may not have moved the needle as a cohesive unit, they reminded the nation why they’re worthy of a top 25 ranking: Mikayla Blakes. A third-team AP All-American last season, Blakes may be the most interesting […]
New stars shine as No. 18 USC opens the season with a dominant win
No. 18 USC started life without JuJu Watkins with a win over New Mexico State, beating the Aggies 87-48 at home. While Watkins is out for the year, her presence still permeates the Galen Center. Watkins jerseys can be seen everywhere inside the arena, and before the opening tip, she was presented with the John […]
Expect No. 1 UConn to begin their championship defense with a big win over No. 20 Louisville
The title defense for No. 1-ranked UConn begins, with the Huskies meeting No. 20 Louisville at the Naval Academy in Annapolis, MD at 5:30 p.m. ET (ESPN). The opener was supposed to be the first NCAA women’s college basketball game held outside the United States, with Ramstein Air Base in Germany the original site of […]
Another Fenerbahçe-Valencia clash headlines Week 5 of EuroLeague Women
One of the upsides of the new EuroLeague Women competition system, which was first instituted last season, is the opportunity to see high-profile matchups played several times during both group phases. This week, Fenerbahçe Opet (4-0) will take on Valencia Basket Club (3-1) for the second time this season; both clubs have enormous budgets and […]
Taliah Scott was opening day’s star, sparking No. 16 Baylor to an upset win over No. 7 Duke
The opening day of the 2025-26 women’s college basketball season would’ve been a typical one, with the top teams beating their lower-ranked opponents as expected. But, No. 16 Baylor upended expectations by besting No. 7 Duke 58-52 in Paris. It was an even contest entering the fourth, but new Bear Taliah Scott ended that immediately […]
No. 21 Iowa won their season opener as expected—but not in the way expected
Over the last few years, the 3-point shot has become the bread and butter for Iowa women’s basketball. 3s fueled their legendary high-octane, push-the-pace offense, which has carried them to national prominence. It was a shot absolutely mastered by a select few, and one in particular who needs no explanation. So one might expect the No.21 […]
Can No. 7 Duke and Toby Fournier make an opening day statement against No. 16 Baylor in Paris?
The 2025-26 NCAA women’s basketball season tips off today at 11 a.m. ET, when teams from across the country will hit the hardwood for their first official action. Opening day’s most interesting matchup, however, will not take place in the United States, but in Paris, when No. 7 Duke and No. 16 Baylor meet at […]
Here’s everything you need to know before the 2025-26 women’s college basketball season tips off
The 2025-26 women’s college basketball season is officially here! Before you tune in to watch your favorite players and teams, catch up on all of Swish Appeal’s preseason coverage: Conference previews As the undisputed beasts of the Big East, defending-champion and No. 1-ranked UConn has bigger ambitions than more conference championship trophies. Another national title […]
2026 WNBA Draft watch: Cotie McMahon can take advantage of a big opportunity at Ole Miss
The transfer portal in women’s college basketball is a powerful thing. Just one or two key transfers can change the entire competitive landscape of any conference, and such transfers are becoming increasingly common with the introduction of Name, Image and Likeness (NIL) rules. If a school wants to be in the running for a top […]
With all 48 players and six head coaches announced, Unrivaled is (almost) ready for Season 2
Unrivaled is going to be bigger in Season 2, and we bet it’s also going to be even better. The 3×3 league has expanded to six teams, with Breeze BC and Hive BC joining Rose BC, Lunar Owls BC, Vinyl BC, Laces BC and Phantom BC, and now will feature 48 players, up from last […]
Behind Julie Vanloo’s best EuroLeague Women game yet, ÇBK Mersin avoids falling to 0-4 in Week 4
Things had not gone well for Julie Vanloo during her debut EuroLeague Women campaign with ÇBK Mersin. Through the first three group play games, the Belgian guard has tallied eight total points, all of which came in a single game. She was 3-for-19 from the field and 1-for-7 from 3, although she had contributed 16 […]
A 30-point scorer, a Strong 3-point shooter and one more bold prediction for the 2025-26 women’s college basketball season
Before all the women’s college basketball fun officially begins on Monday, Nov. 3, let’s have some fun with three bold player-based predictions for the season ahead: Mikayla Blakes will lead the nation in scoring—with at least 30 points per game I teased this prediction in The Feed and, to be honest, suggesting that Mikayla Blakes […]
Lauren Betts is great! But for UCLA to win the program’s first national title, she has to be even better
Everything is set up for Lauren Betts to have a monster year for UCLA. The coaches and media voted Betts the Big Ten Preseason Player of the Year. Both also placed her on the Preseason All-Big Ten Team, and did so unanimously. No other Big Ten player made the All-Big Ten Team by both the […]
The WNBA, WNBPA can continue CBA negotiations for (at least) 30 more days
CBA negotiations between the WNBA and WNBPA will continue. On Thursday, both sides agreed to a 30-day extension, moving the deadline from Oct. 31 to Nov. 30, as first reported by The Athletic’s Ben Pickman. Pickman further reported that the WNBA and WNBPA held in-person meetings on Wednesday and Thursday before the players union decided […]
Op-Ed: Amidst partisan political posturing, Flau’Jae Johnson provided some common sense
The murder of right-wing activist and Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk on Sept. 10 has brought out the best and worst in all of us. It has compelled those of sound mind, compassion, empathy and maturity to call out acts of political violence on both sides of the aisle. It’s also forced us to […]
These three players are poised for superstar leaps during the 2025-26 women’s college basketball season
Every college basketball season brings fresh opportunities for players to elevate their games and establish themselves as elite talents. The 2025-2026 season could be the launching pad that transforms these three players from promising prospects into household names in women’s college basketball. Here’s more on Michigan’s Syla Swords, Vanderbilt’s Mikayla Blakes and Maryland’s Oluchi Okananwa: […]
The 2026 WNBA All-Star Game would be incomplete without a celebration of the 1976 and 1996 US Olympic Teams
The WNBA is in a paradoxical position. On the one hand, the league has never been more popular, with ratings surging and crowds piling up from Las Vegas to Indianapolis. On the other hand, the league also is in a state of vulnerability over what the future holds for the players. The Oct.31 deadline for […]
Seattle Storm’s Mackenzie Holmes leads five WNBA players shining in early WNBL action
Because the WNBA offseason is longer than the actual season, players have the chance to develop and play elsewhere to improve their game. Many use the time well, playing in Unrivaled or Athletes Unlimited in the States. Many others, however, head overseas for work. In addition to the number of WNBA players competing in Europe […]
Can Fenerbahçe, Galatasaray and Girona stay undefeated in Week 4 of EuroLeague Women?
The 2025-26 EuroLeague Women season is only a few weeks old, but we’ve already reached the halfway point in the first round of group play. Every team has now played each of its first-round opponents once, setting up rematches for the next three weeks: Week 4 will have the same matchups as Week 1, Week […]
Will WNBA players agree to the 30-day CBA negotiation extension proposed by the WNBA?
On Tuesday, the WNBA offered to extend the negotiations for new CBA by 30 days. WNBA players have yet to accept, with a source telling ESPN and Front Office Sports that players could agree to an extension “under the right circumstances,” yet “those circumstances do not yet exist.” If an extension is not reached, the […]
What do Lauren Betts, Azzi Fudd and Olivia Miles need to prove to WNBA evaluators?
Collegiate greatness does not always scale to professional dominance. The differences between the 362 Division I schools and the soon-to-be 15 WNBA teams is night and day, and prospects can’t be judged on their raw production alone. Before the college season kicks off, let’s look at what three top NCAA players—UCLA’s Lauren Betts, UConn’s Azzi […]
Is UConn, Tennessee or another program leading the race for women’s college basketball’s best 2026 recruiting class?
The race for the 2025-26 women’s college basketball national championship is just beginning. Yet, the competition for another crown—the best 2026 recruiting class—is entering the final sprint. Four of the top-five recruits in the class of 2026 have made their decisions, and the fifth undecided prospect recently made a splash. Jerzy Robinson, a 6-foot-0 guard […]
The CBA negotiations between the WNBA, WNBPA are about what it means to “share”
In an appearance on the TODAY Show last Tuesday, NBA Commissioner Adam Silver inflamed the already-intense negotiations for a new CBA between the WNBA and WNBPA. Asked if WNBA players are deserving of a greater share of growing league revenues, Silver answered, “Yes,” before pontificating: I mean, I think “share” isn’t the right way to […]
2026 WNBA Draft watch: Kiki Rice leads by example for the UCLA Bruins
It’s an exciting time to be a UCLA women’s basketball fan. The Bruins are coming off a program-record 34 wins in their first season in the Big Ten, going 16-2 in conference play and winning the Big Ten Tournament, and they advanced all the way to the Final Four in the NCAA Tournament for the […]
20 years after their lone national title, could 2025-26 be the season that Maryland breaks their championship drought?
Only three NCAA Division I women’s basketball coaches have won back-to-back national championships: UConn’s Geno Auriemma (2002-04, 2009-10, 2013-16), Tennessee’s Pat Summitt (1996-98, 2007-08) and USC’s Linda Sharp (1983-84). Then there’s South Carolina’s Dawn Staley (2022, 2024) and Stanford’s Tara VanDerveer (1990, 1992), who have won two in three years (with Staley also capturing three […]
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