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| | December 29, 2025 | Edition #175 | Hey, Hoophead! | You know, there's a common thread when we talk about women's basketball, patriarchy, or broader social issues. We can't celebrate how far we've come without also acknowledging how much still falls short. Yesterday highlighted that perfectly, thanks to our reigning Coach of the Year. And with the year winding down, it also feels right to look back at the start of the season and revisit the moments that almost were. |
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| | | | | Women's Basketball Is Booming; The Coverage Isn't |
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| | Imagine being the no.4 team in the country, playing one of the biggest games of the day…only to look up afterward and see a single reporter in the room. That's exactly what had UCLA's Cori Close fuming at Value City Arena. | UCLA- Ohio State was the only ranked game on the slate, and 8,455 fans turned out. But when it came to media coverage, it lagged badly. LA Times writer Benjamin Royer was the lone reporter to question Cori Close after the game, and her response was full of anger and disappointment. | Go check out how the Bruins' HC ripped into the media! | It's a bit of a head-scratcher. Women's basketball is really on the rise right now. Even with a 54% drop from the Clark–Cardoso 2024 title game that nearly touched 19 million viewers, the energy around the sport is still sky high. | In fact, the 2024–25 season became ESPN's most-watched women's regular season since 2008–09, up 3 percent year over year and 41% from two seasons ago. But when it comes to coverage, there's still a big gap. | To be fair, though, it's the holiday season, so student media is off. AP confirmed they had a freelancer in attendance, and the local NBC affiliate, WCMH-TV, had David DeGuzman in the building too. But neither ended up talking to Cori Close after the game, likely because they were focused on covering the home team. | And that opens up the real issue. How many WBB programs actually get beat coverage from big papers? Very few. Some independent journalists are carrying the load on Substack. That's admirable, but that shouldn't be the case in 2025. | Is traditional journalism dying? Something to ponder upon. |
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| | | The first game of the second half of the season saw Dawn Staley's Gamecocks cruise past Providence 96–55 at Colonial Life Arena. | Six players in double figures, Tessa Johnson and Madina Okot leading the way with 18 points apiece, all 10 Gamecocks on the board, season-high 12 threes - a perfect day, right? Well, the Gamecocks weren't spared from bad luck. | Their second-leading scorer, Ta'Niya Latson, took a nasty fall and left the game in the second quarter. But the way she exited the floor raised real concern. Very painful! | Moving on, it was another blowout victory for the UConn Huskies. A 94–47 win over Butler pushed the Huskies to 13–0, something they hadn't done since 2017–18. (For context, that season ended with a flawless 36–0 regular season! 👀) | However, it wasn't the sharpest start for the Lady Huskies. But once Sarah Strong and Azzi Fudd got rolling, it was business as usual. The duo combined for 28 points as the Huskies cruised to their 51st consecutive Big East victory. | Then comes the highlight of the day. While the other games were comfortable wins, this one had some drama. UCLA and Ohio State went toe-to-toe in the day's only ranked matchup, and the Bruins had to work for an 82–75 victory. | Neither side could pull away, and the third quarter's chaos said it all. Two ridiculous buzzer-beaters in 7 seconds!! Buckeyes' wild three followed by the Bruins' crazy beyond half-court shot. | You can't afford to miss this one! | Lauren Betts did a bit of everything with 18 points and 16 rebounds, helping the Bruins survive a late scare. | Elite Hands! Sarah Strong's Stunning Move Amazes Commentators |
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| | Do You Think Women's Basketball Gets the Media Coverage It Deserves? | | Last Poll's Result: We asked, "Bold Take: UConn Will Go Undefeated This Season." 56% of you are betting on an upset. |
| | | | The Year That Could've Been |
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| | As we head toward the end of the year, it's only right to rewind and revisit the "what if" moments that shaped this WBB season. | Clark-Sized What-If: This might be the biggest "what if" of them all. What started with MVP dreams after her rookie season ended in frustration, with three injuries restricting her to just 13 appearances. | And it wasn't just the Fever. The whole league largely felt her absence early on. Want to see how? Check it out. | Fragile Crown? It felt like business as usual for the defending champions. Nine straight wins to start the season. They looked set to go back-to-back until the injury bug stepped in. It almost…became a theme. One by one, the Big Three went down. Sabrina Ionescu lost six games, as Jonquel Jones and Breanna Stewart missed 13 each. | If not for all those injuries, maybe the Liberty wouldn't have crashed out in the first round. Who knows? | The Stakes of the Stalemate: No matter what happened on the court, something bigger was always looming off it, and more often than not, it was the CBA. | But what if the players had never opted out? In an ideal world, the expansion draft would already be done. And then there's the other question: what if potential rivals like Unrivaled or Project B had never existed? Would we still be standing here? | Honestly, when it comes to the CBA, there are just too many what-ifs to count. | Life Without JuJu: JuJu Watkins was having the season of her life. And then, at the worst possible time, tragedy struck in the Round of 32 last year. She's now out for the season with an ACL. And while the reality won't change, you can't help but wonder: | How far might USC have gone if JuJu had been healthy alongside Kiki Iriafen? And what might women's college basketball have witnessed if the Trojans had JuJu and Jazzy suiting up together and contending for a national title this season?
| The TCU Effect! Olivia Miles gave one of the biggest shocks of the offseason, opting to forgo the draft and transfer to TCU. The real reason behind the move still hangs in the air, though many have drawn their own conclusions after that very public moment with former teammate Hannah Hidalgo. Yes, the one that even required security to step in. This clip made the rounds on the internet! | But so far, the transfer has looked like a brilliant call for Miles. And it does make you think: what if Olivia Miles had stayed? Would Miles be having a season this special in South Bend? | History Rewritten: The 5 Biggest What-Ifs in WNBA History |
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| | | | Mulkey's Special Meeting, Paige's Special Hamper |
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| | It was a big Sunday in Baton Rouge. Kim Mulkey's side cruised to a 109–41 win over Alabama State, marking their 11th 100-point outing of the season. But before the action started, the crowd had its eyes on someone else arriving at the Pete Maravich Assembly Center with his mom to watch the Lady Tigers. | Apparently, the highlight of the non-conference play became Kim Mulkey meeting a hip-hop star. Here's the wholesome moment! | Meanwhile, training may have already started for Unrivaled Season 2, but Paige Bueckers wasn't letting the festive spirit fade. The Breeze BC captain treated her teammates to gift baskets filled with goodies and even a custom surprise that might have you rolling on the floor. | It was a total Paige move. But yes, Paige is already staking her claim as Unrivaled's early favorite captain. |
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| | Kim Mulkey Flags One Big Issue For LSU's SEC Test - Full Story Jan Jensen Sets the Record Straight on "Indefinitely Suspended" Iowa Guard - Full Story Tessa Johnson's Next Move Isn't the WNBA - Full Story
| That's it for today, folks! We'll look to knock on your inbox soon with more interesting stories! | |
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