The IX Basketball

Tara VanDerveer sat in her cabin in northern Minnesota, the place that had served as her respite from a nonstop coaching life, looking out at a shimmering lake. Every summer VanDerveer loaded up her dogs, Enzo and Piper, for the journey east to stay in Minnesota for a few weeks. Get unlimited access to women’s basketball coverage and help support our hardworking staff of writers, editors, and photographers by subscribing today. Join today Already a member?

Following UCLA’s practice session last Thursday, there was one player still out on the court getting in additional work. While everyone else had left for the day, Amanda Muse was still working alongside Bruins’ assistant coach Tony Newman. Get unlimited access to women’s basketball coverage and help support our hardworking staff of writers, editors, and photographers by subscribing today. Join today Already a member?

UConn senior Azzi Fudd remembers the first time she heard teammate Caroline Ducharme‘s name. As was typical during her middle school weekends, Fudd was on her way to an elite basketball tournament with her parents. Get unlimited access to women’s basketball coverage and help support our hardworking staff of writers, editors, and photographers by subscribing today. Join today Already a member?

BALTIMORE – Five seconds. That’s all it took for Tessa Johnson. Get unlimited access to women’s basketball coverage and help support our hardworking staff of writers, editors, and photographers by subscribing today. Join today Already a member? Login Wearing a black leg sleeve, Johnson rose and swished a 3-pointer the first time the ball touched her hands against Coppin State, her neatly manicured nails flashing as she followed through.

For the past two years, the Dallas Wings have been looking forward to moving out of Arlington and into new facilities in downtown Dallas. Get unlimited access to women’s basketball coverage and help support our hardworking staff of writers, editors, and photographers by subscribing today. Join today Already a member? Login However, the Wings will still be practicing and playing games in UT Arlington’s 7,000-seat arena, College Park Center, when the 2026 season kicks off.

OXFORD, Miss. — With Mississippi fans dressed in white and members of the Divine Nine Greek-letter organizations standing throughout Sandy and John Black Pavilion, LSU faced the possibility of its second stretch of back-to-back Southeastern Conference (SEC) losses this season. Get unlimited access to women’s basketball coverage and help support our hardworking staff of writers, editors, and photographers by subscribing today. Join today Already a member?

NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Justine Pissott didn’t even know what exactly Vanderbilt was when she hopped on a video call with Shea Ralph and her assistant coaches. She’d heard of the school’s academic reputation, but she felt like she owed a favor to assistant coach Kevin DeMille, who began recruiting her when she was 13. Get unlimited access to women’s basketball coverage and help support our hardworking staff of writers, editors, and photographers by subscribing today. Join today Already a member?

The word ‘effort’ is defined by Merriam-Webster Dictionary as ‘a conscious exertion of power.’ We talk about effort in our everyday worlds as hard work and making a serious attempt to complete a task. Effort is often equated with an outcome (good or bad), and in the world of sports, sometimes how much blood, sweat and tears you put into a workout, game or match.

We got our first set of answers this week when it comes to the bracket. The committee did its first top 16 reveal of the season, and it was a doozy. There were some answers, but mostly questions. However, it took just one day for all their hard work to be thrown into chaos. Here is my projection in this week’s edition of Bracketology after another wild week of women’s college basketball.

NEWARK, Del. — Ella Wanzer has gotten used to curling into an aisle seat while her teammates scatter toward a milkshake stand. It’s one their general manager, Jason Gandhi, and communications contact, Eli Vaupen, scoped out minutes after the Delaware women’s basketball squad spilled into yet another airport. Another long road trip becomes a scavenger hunt for snacks, sleep, and self-help books. For Wanzer, idle time rarely stays idle.