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What to Know About Women’s Basketball Today
1. NCAA’s New Eligibility Guidance Could Bar International Players 🌍
The NCAA issued updated guidance around compensation and professional team experience that could make some international prospects ineligible for college athletics. Under the new guidance, prospects who played for or were paid by teams in leagues with salaries above “actual and necessary expenses” may not qualify for NCAA participation. (Sports Illustrated)
WHY IT MATTERS: College programs have aggressively recruited international talent over the past few years, especially players with overseas pro experience. The NCAA says many cases will be reviewed individually, but there are still a lot of unanswered questions about how this process will work and how rules will be enforced. This could create confusion around roster building and competitive balance at a time when the sport is already adjusting to major changes due to NIL.
2. USA Basketball Announces U17 National Team 🇺🇸
The future is looking pretty bright. USA Basketball officially named the 12-player roster for the 2026 Women’s U17 National Team. The group will represent the United States at the 2026 FIBA U17 Women’s World Cup in July.
WHY IT MATTERS: This group represents some of the very best young talent in women’s basketball right now. Past USA Basketball U17 players have gone on to become college stars and successful pros. The competition expectations are high as well, since the United States has won six of the seven U17 Women’s World Cups, including the last three in a row.
3. Kelsey Plum Suffers Ankle Sprain 🩼
A tough break for one of the WNBA’s top scorers. Four-time WNBA All-Star Kelsey Plum of the Los Angeles Sparks suffered an ankle sprain during practice and will be reevaluated in one week. (Alexa Philippou/X)
WHY IT MATTERS: The injury comes during one of the hottest starts of Plum’s career, as she currently leads the WNBA in scoring at 26.8 points per game. This is a tough interruption for both her and the Sparks. If Plum returns healthy, and quickly finds her rhythm again, she could still very much be in the MVP conversation this season.
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OVERTIME ⏱️
Clutch Carla: Portland Fire guard Carla Leite came through late with back-to-back baskets to help Portland close out a road win over the Liberty.
Sun Legend: The Connecticut Sun will honor Jonquel Jones before their June 8 matchup against the Liberty by raising her No. 35 jersey to the rafters. Jones played for the Sun from 2016 - 2022.
Wide Awake: The Atlanta Dream climbed to No. 1 in ESPN’s latest WNBA power rankings and remain the league’s only one-loss team right now.
🗳️ Poll Results from Yesterday: We asked if you think Atlanta is a title contender this season and it’s a close call. 50% of you feel that they have a strong chance, while 43% of you feel it’s too early to tell.
