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Good morning! ☕️
There’s a college matchup this weekend you won’t want to miss. Top-ranked South Carolina and No. 3 USC face off Sunday at 1 p.m. ET on ABC in the Battle of the USCs.
What to Know About Women’s Basketball Today
1. Six Teams, One No. 1 Pick 🏀
The 2027 WNBA Draft lottery is this Sunday, with six teams in the mix: the Houston Comets, Los Angeles Sparks, Portland Fire, Seattle Storm, Toronto Tempo and Washington Mystics. Houston, formerly the Connecticut Sun, has the best odds of landing the top pick. (Yahoo Sports)
📺 Watch the draft lottery Sunday, Nov. 15 at 7:30 p.m. ET on ESPN
WHY IT MATTERS: A No. 1 pick can change a team's future. Just look at the impact Caitlin Clark has had in Indiana and Paige Bueckers in Dallas. Sunday's lottery could give one of these six teams the chance to find its next franchise player.
2. The WNBA Is Planning Its Longest Season Yet 📅
The 2027 WNBA season is expected to tip off May 7, with a possible finish as late as October 24. Each team will play a record 50 regular-season games, up from 44 in 2026, with no midseason break for international competition. (ESPN)
WHY IT MATTERS: That's six more games for fans to enjoy and the most regular-season games the league has ever played. The new collective bargaining agreement allows up to 50 games per team in 2027 and 2028, with that limit rising to 52 starting in 2029.
3. New Data Raises Questions About College Transfers 🎓
A new NCAA study found that athletes who transfer multiple times tend to graduate at lower rates than those who transfer once or stay at one school. (ESPN)
WHY IT MATTERS: In women's basketball, the graduation rate was 90% for players who never transferred, compared with 77% for those who transferred multiple times. Across sports, athletes who transferred multiple times had graduation rates 15 to 20 points lower than those who never transferred. This data gives leaders a reason to look closely at how transfer rules affect students. Most college athletes won't play professionally, so earning a degree makes a difference to their post-basketball careers.
🗳️ Should the NCAA limit student-athletes to one transfer in college?
Know Someone Who Loves Women's Basketball? 💌
Have a women's basketball fan on your holiday shopping list? Give them something that celebrates their love of the game all year long.
The Post-Up Club holiday gift memberships are a fun way to help fans feel more connected to the sport, especially those who don't have other women's basketball fans nearby.
Each gift starts with a special holiday surprise, followed by monthly letters and paper extras delivered right to their mailbox. Choose from 3, 6, or 12 months.
OVERTIME ⏱️
Threes for Days: North Carolina knocked down a program-record 18 three-pointers against NC Central this week.
Rookie Stories: Episode 3 of the WNBA's Year 1 series spotlighting rookies Raven Johnson and Flau’jae Johnson is now available on YouTube.
Uni Throwback: Take a fun look at how women's basketball uniforms have changed over the decades.
🗳️ Poll Results from Yesterday: We asked how closely you follow college basketball recruiting, and the results were very mixed. 39% don't really follow recruiting, 31% only keep up with their favorite team's recruits, and 30% love following all the top prospects.
