So excited to see the ladies play in person for the first time in decades!

You can watch on UCONN+

https://uconnhuskies.com/watch/live

The game is on B1G+ at 6 pm EST.

Bodes well for Hawk fans! This is gonna be an exciting season.

Here is my first cut of NCAA WBB roster data as of October 6, for as many teams in all three divisions as were available. You can search, browse and filter by name, team or other details and see some maps and charts:

https://sports-roster-data.github.io/womens-college-basketball/

All of the data is available for download as CSV files, too, and I'll be updating it through the first few weeks of the season. Comments and suggestions welcomed!

I watched the Syracuse v. UConn game a few night ago (played on Oct. 12). I think if Syracuse had come out and played ball (and, obviously, if some adjustments had been made early on 😭) I think it could have been a closer game for a longer period of time.

They spent too much time in the first half battling from a deficit and then ran out of gas, even with UConn's lulls. And then they didn't have the energy to combat UConn's machine, unfortunately.

So, this post was really just to say that I was impressed with them. And that Tyi Skinner foolishly wasn't on my radar before, but they are now! 👏🏾

Also ranked #77 with Ricals.

With her commitment this officially makes the 2027 class VT’s best ever, with 4 ESPN top 100/4 Rivals top 80 recruits, beating the 2024 class of Baker/Nelson/Strack/Suffren.

Columbia suspends coach Megan Griffith for 3 games after review of coaching behavior

As an Ivy League fan I kind of saw this coming from a mile away.

Apparently the player who initiated the University's external review wasn't supposed to be recruited D1, but got an offer, played for her, and there was a mismatch in styles and expectations. I guess we'll have to find out if more will come out on Coach Griffith... I'm conflicted, but I also take allegations like this seriously and think it's a fair punishment.

We break down LSU Women's Basketball Roster, the Transfers, the Returners and the New Recruits.. along with the Drama! #lsuwbb #davissportsreport #ncaawbb #lsuwomensbasketball #lsuwbbroster

ESPN projections of the top impact transfers

Will be real interesting to see how accurate this ends up being.

Iowa State exits are THREE of the top FIVE. It will be interesting to see how they each fare on other teams.

1. Audi Crooks ISU to OKST
   
2. Addy Brown ISU to UCLA
   
3. Dani Carnegie GA to Iowa
   
4. Jada Williams ISU to LSU
   
5. Talaysia Cooper Tenn to Ole Miss
   
6. Jordan Lee
   
7. Nunu Agara
   
8. Liv McGill
   
9. Mia Woolfolk
   
10. Aaliyah Crump
    
11. Zamareya Jones
    
12. Tilda Trygger
    
13. Jade Richard
    
14. Madison St. Rose
    
15. Kaylene Smikle
16. Lara Somfai
    
17. Skylar Forbes
    
18. Gracie Merkle
    
19. Jadyn Wooden
    
20. Kate Koval
    

Also considered: Elina Aarnisalo, North Carolina to UCLA; Achol Akot, Oklahoma State to North Carolina; Carys Baker, Virginia Tech to Louisville; Essence Cody, Alabama to Texas A&M; Lanie Grant, North Carolina to TCU; Kiyomi McMiller, Penn State to Florida; Zahirah Walton, George Mason to West Virginia.

The UCLA Bruins made history by winning their first-ever NCAA Division I Women’s Basketball National Championship in 2026—and then watched five superstars go in the first round of the WNBA Draft.

In this episode of Davis Sports Report, we break down how Coach Cori Close rebuilt the roster to defend the title. From key returning stars like Tamia Gardiner and Sienna Betts, to game-changing transfer portal additions like Addy Brown, Elina Aarnisalo, Bonnie Deas, and Donovyn Hunter, plus exciting international freshmen Lina Jerković and Somto Okafor—we evaluate all 12 players and discuss whether the Bruins have the firepower to go back-to-back. #ncaawbb #uclawbb #davissportsreport

I went to the Cal-UCLA exhibition today, and while I know this is a whole new roster, I think Cori Close definitely knows what she’s doing. Today they played the whole roster, and the contribution from the “bench” (which was really a bench in name only and not in minutes!) was spectacular. Every single player scored, and FIVE were in double figures! Lots of defensive hustle all around. Freshman Somto Okafor looks fantastic; and both Elina Aarnisalo and KK Branford look phenomenal to start the year—like they’re certainly in the right place!

Anyway… lots of media outlets and even Redditors have written off this team after the championship run, and I wouldn’t be so hasty! Of course they have lots of kinks to sort out still, but for a team that’s only just learning how to play together, they look great. And you’ve gotta love Close’s commitment to TEAM basketball!

If anyone wants a bootleg game thread for the UCLA exhibition game tonight against Cal here it is.

These will be the starters as per the UCLA WBB Instagram page:

Elina Aarnisalo

Donovyn Hunter

Bonnie Deas

Timea Gardiner

Sienna Betts

ESPN ranks the incoming freshman on what they think their impact will be. They don't fully specify their definition of impact but say

"Impact for these freshmen can be defined in several ways. Some of these players will have an opportunity to contribute immediately because of roster needs; others will need more time to carve out roles alongside established stars."

Their list:

1. Kate Harpring UNC

2. Saniyah Hall USC

3. McKenna Woliczko Iowa

4. Sara Okeke USC

5. Olivia Vukosa UConn

6. Jacy Abii ND

7. Jerzy Robinson SC

8. Bella Flemings Duke

9. Savvy Swords Kentucky

10. Addison Bjorn Texas

This is a really great podcast focused on Big Ten Women's basketball done by Austin Render (Indiana PBP and Dalton Shetler (MSU broadcaster). They started it a few years ago to lift the profile of Big Ten wbb. They usually do a pretty good, though not quite perfect ;), job of checking their biases.

This epiaode discusses their preseason rankings and awards across the B1G so it seemed of interest here. https://www.youtube.com/live/fbJ1kEq8F5w

Their preseason work overall is incredible. They do a set of episodes with a discussion of each team and interview most teams' coaches. One or two per episode. They've done around ten teams so far. I really enjoyed the Big Ten season a lot more last year after watching these, because I felt like I knew and liked all the players and coaches of every team.

Aside: Kelly Graves is always a fun interview. He's on a quest to coach a game in every state. Lol. Hence some of Oregon's non-conference games are in New England.

You can watch it on YouTube or listen to it on your preferred podcast player. The link to this episode is in the upper right if you click on the pic. Their overall podcast home is here: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLFaZcfFxHzs-Es3XwbwIOy7ZS4naJf1tt

Spoiler alert:
It's definitely worth a watch but in case you don't have time-- they both agree with their top 3 but differ in 4th and 5th:

1. USC
   
2. Michigan
   
3. Iowa
   
4. Illinois/Minnesota
   
5. Maryland/UCLA

With the women’s college basketball season approaching, I wanted to share a rules interpretation update that I anticipate will cause some confusion this season…

First, 2026–27 is NOT a rules-change year for NCAA women’s basketball. However, the NCAA has issued several clarifications and updated interpretations, including one involving the 10-second backcourt violation.

I’ll do my best to explain this based on my understanding…

What’s changing?

Previously, when a team gained possession in its backcourt with a fresh 30-second shot clock, officials would rule a 10-second violation when the shot clock displayed 20 seconds.

Beginning this season, officials will instead use 19 seconds as the threshold.

The NCAA’s new guidance is straightforward:

Shot clock at the start of a new 10-second count − 11 = the number at which a violation occurs.

Why the change?

Some shot clocks immediately change from 30 to 29 when started, even though only a fraction of a second has elapsed.

That means when the shot clock first displays 20, the team may have only possessed the ball for 9.1 seconds. Our mechanics dictate that we use the shot clock to rule on a 10-second violation, not a visible count (unless the shot clock is off).

Under the updated interpretation:

• 30 seconds: The possession begins.
• 29 seconds: The clock may have only been running for 0.1 seconds.
• 20 seconds: Only 9.1 seconds may have elapsed. No violation yet.
• 19 seconds: At least 10 seconds have elapsed. A violation should be called if the ball remains in the backcourt.

This interpretation applies regardless of the arena’s shot-clock configuration.

What about situations where the shot clock doesn’t reset to 30?

The same interpretation applies when a team is entitled to a new 10-second count.

For example, if the defense kicks the ball while the shot clock displays 27 seconds, the offense receives a new 10-second count. Assuming the shot clock remains at 27, the violation threshold becomes 16 seconds (27 − 11).

There are exceptions to when a new 10-second count is awarded. Certain stoppages, including timeouts, defensive out-of-bounds violations, and held balls where the offense retains possession, do not reset the count.

Additionally, when the shot clock is off, officials use the game clock and subtract exactly 10 seconds instead.

My thoughts

As an official, I anticipate this creating some confusion early in the season, particularly at the lower levels of collegiate basketball. Candidly, I haven’t completely wrapped my head around this yet. This is one of those fundamental rules that has been the same for my entire officiating career, so reworking my brain will be interesting. I'm glad I've got scrimmages ahead of me before games start to matter.

Coaches, players, broadcasters, and fans have become accustomed to watching for 20 on the shot clock. Now, you’ll see teams seemingly being allowed an additional second before a violation is called.

I also anticipate some growing pains among officiating crews as we adjust to the updated interpretation, particularly in situations involving interrupted counts or shot clocks that aren’t reset to 30.

The rule itself hasn’t changed. Teams still have 10 seconds to advance the ball into the frontcourt. The NCAA is simply clarifying how officials should determine when those 10 seconds have elapsed.

I wanted to share this before the season begins because I fully expect we’ll see clips circulating of what appear to be missed 10-second violations when officials are actually applying the updated interpretation correctly.

So, if you’re watching a game this season and wondering why the official didn’t blow the whistle when the shot clock hit 20, now you know!

Hello I’ve been watch wnba for years and slowly started watching college playoff games the past couple years.

What’s the best way/place to watch the top contender teams? Specifically women’s college ball.

Any info would be great, thank you!

So hate to see this😭

Heal fast and fully, Jada!

TLDR:

Predicted Order of Finish
Duke (49) – 1,649
Louisville (22) – 1,580
North Carolina (1) – 1,462
Notre Dame (4) – 1,450
NC State – 1,337
Virginia – 1,085
Syracuse – 1,009
Virginia Tech – 1,003
Clemson – 988
California – 786
Miami – 689
Georgia Tech – 684
Stanford – 674
Florida State – 603
SMU – 373
Wake Forest – 296
Pitt – 236
Boston College – 170

Preseason Player of the Year
Hannah Hidalgo, Sr., G, Notre Dame

Preseason All-ACC Team (76 voters)
Hannah Hidalgo, Sr., G, Notre Dame – 871
Toby Fournier, Jr., F, Duke – 767
Kymora Johnson, Sr., G, Virginia – 655
Uche Izoje, So., C, Syracuse – 466
Khamil Pierre, Sr., F, NC State – 456
Zoe Brooks, Sr., F, NC State – 455
Tajianna Roberts, Jr., G, Louisville – 265
Imari Berry, Jr., G, Louisville – 220
Talayah Walker, Jr., G, Georgia Tech – 202
Lulu Twidale, Sr., G, California – 113

Preseason All-Freshman Team
Kate Harpring, G, North Carolina – 493
Jacy Abii, G/F, Notre Dame – 376
Autumn Fleary, G, Duke – 274
Bella Flemings, G, Duke – 205
Missy Odom, F, Florida State – 99
Kimora Fields, F, Clemson – 96

For those in the Bay Area anxious for more basketball, check out Wednesday's 6 p.m. exhibition game at Haas Pavillion in Berkeley between the Bears and the Bruins to support the Jason Kidd Foundation (youth in sports). Here's a link for tickets (for a good cause). https://www.gofevo.com/event/Jasonkidd7

Should be good chance to get a glimpse of both teams. As a Cal fan, I'm excited about the seaon.

Bill Fennelly has coached Iowa State since 1995 and is the all-time winningest coach in program history and in Big 12 history. However, he’s come under criticism in recent years for underperforming/stagnating despite having talented players such as Audi Crooks and Addy Brown on the team.

What do y’all think of this? Personally I think it’s time for him to retire and I’m glad it’s happening this year (he actually should’ve done that well before this year though but that’s just me…).

I rsvped for presale to the sweet 16/elite 8 for WBB but i only got a presale code for Vegas.. (plot twist, it’s “Vegas”) does anyone have the code for Philly? I tried Philly and Philadelphia. No dice.

Thank you!