When you’re among the final five unbeaten teams in Division I, the last player you want to see entering your arena is JuJu Watkins.

Yet, that’s where the No. 8 Maryland Terrapins, owners of an unscathed 14-0 record, find themselves on Wednesday, Jan. 8. The No. 4 USC Trojans, led by Watkins, come to College Park for a battle of Big Ten titans (8:30 p.m. ET, FS1).

The two teams present alternative theories of title-contending basketball, making the matchup on all the more intriguing. Will USC’s star power or Maryland’s balanced attack win out on Wednesday night?

Can the Terps’ team ball triumph?

After last year’s disappointing descent into mediocrity, Maryland is back at their more familiar perch near the top of the sport, with head coach Brenda Frese not only impressively importing a talented group of transfers, but also, almost instantly, effectively integrating new and returning players to establish an elite, two-way team.

As our Eric Nemchock has covered, the newcomers have alleviated the burden on Shyanne Sellers, allowing the senior point guard to more effectively and efficiently effect all areas of the game. And while junior guard Kaylene Smikle has emerged as the Terrapins’ most consistent scorer after transferring from Rutgers, the likes of junior guard Bri McDaniel, senior forward Allie Kubek and junior wing Saylor Poffenbarger also are capable of popping off for big scoring night.

McDaniel, in particular, makes the Terps dangerous. With a case for being the nation’s best sixth player, she comes off the bench with a mission to influence the action, often powering her way to tough buckets. Against a more top-heavy Trojan team, McDaniel’s bursts of impact could prove pivotal for the home team.

Will Watkins wow in another win?

However, in basketball, a singular talent can outshine even the most well-constructed team.

The sophomore superstar Watkins certainly has that potential. She will take and make the tough shots. She’ll frustrate the opposition by earning oodles of free throws. She also won’t ignore the other end of the floor, creating havoc as a defensive playmaker. And, in true star fashion, she has penchant for being at her best in the biggest, most crucial moments.

This season, Watkins also has a sidekick, with Stanford transfer and senior forward Kiki Iriafen increasingly finding her groove in gold and cardinal. That pairing is responsible for an average of 43 points per game, while the Trojans as a team are putting up 84.4 points per contest.

To puncture Maryland’s perfection, USC likely will need someone else to step, providing a critical bucket here and there as the Terrapins direct much of their defensive attention towards Watkins and Iriafen. Quite possibly, it will be one of the team’s heralded freshman guards: Kennedy Smith, Kayleigh Heckel or Avery Howell. The most likely candidate is Smith, who is fresh off her highest scoring game of the season, pouring in 19 points in USC’s rout of Rutgers on Sunday.

It also would be an ideal time for grad guard Talia von Oelhoffen to have her best game in a USC uniform. While she authored several memorable moments during her tenure at Oregon State, her stint with the Trojans has been underwhelming.

Game information

No. 4 USC Trojans (14-1, 4-0) vs. No. 8 Maryland Terrapins (14-0, 4-0)

When: Wednesday, Jan. 8 at 8:30 p.m. ET

Where: XFINITY Center in College Park, Maryland

How to watch: FS1

Are the Washington Mystics headed towards a rebuild or are they a piece away from being a dark horse contender? After missing the playoffs last year and finishing near the bottom of the league standings, Washington now has to make some crucial decisions.

Here’s a look at where the Mystics stand entering free agency, as well as the two big questions the team must consider as they navigate the free agency period:

Facts and figures*

Players under contract (contract status; 2025 salary)

• Ariel Atkins (protected veteran; $200,000)
• Brittney Sykes (protected veteran; $195,000)
• Stefanie Dolson (protected veteran; $170,000)
• Karlie Samuelson (protected veteran; $118,450)
• Shakira Austin (protected rookie; $91,981)
• Aaliyah Edwards (unprotected; $74,909)
• Sika Koné (unprotected; $66,710)
• Jade Melbourne (unprotected; $66,710)

Free agents (type; 2024 salary)

• Shatori Walker-Kimbrough (unrestricted; $95,425)
• Sug Sutton (contract expired; $64,154)
• Emily Engstler (contract expired; $64,154)
• Elena Delle Donne (unrestricted)

Total salary of free agents: $224,733

Total team salary: $983,760

Cap space: $523,340

Unsigned draftees (2025 salary)

• Nastja Claessens ($65,438)
• Txell Alarcon ($65,438)

2025 WNBA Draft picks (2024 salary)

• Round 1, No. 4 ($78,831)
• Round 1, No. 6 ($75,643)
• Round 2, No. 11 ($69,267)
• Round 3, No. 7 ($66,079)

1. Will Winger take Washington into a full rebuild?

The Washington Mystics are going through a lot of change. After a difficult end to last season, the team fired Mike and Eric Thibaut, their general manager and head coach, bringing in Jamila Wideman and Sydney Johnson to fill those respective roles.

What makes this an interesting, and potentially telling, indication the team’s direction this offseason is that Monumental Basketball President Michael Winger was behind the new hirings, the first step forward in implementing his vision for the Mystics’ future. Winger also manages the Washington Wizards and upon being hired there, wasted no time committing to a full rebuild, trading away franchise star Bradley Beal a month after being hired. This begs the question: Will the Mystics follow a similar path?

The assumption is that Washington will completely rebuild, which will be made a bit harder with Elena Delle Donne potentially opting out for another year, making the team’s most valuable player untradeable for the second-straight year. This means that Ariel Atkins and Brittney Sykes might be next to go.

Sykes had a promising 2023 season, but last year was defined by constant, nagging injuries. Atkins had a bounce-back season in 2024, playing in all 40 games and averaging 15 points per game, her best mark since 2021. Sykes and Atkins, when healthy, are a good enough backcourt to lead Washington to the playoffs. However, what is the ceiling of that team, and is that ceiling high enough for Winger, Wideman and Johnson?

2. How will the draft influence DC’s decisions?

Photo by Kenny Giarla/NBAE via Getty Images

Ultimately, the biggest question will be what the Mystics do with their two first-round picks this year. There’s a lot of promising talent in this year’s draft. One of Notre Dame’s Olivia Miles or Sonia Citron, USC’s Kiki Iriafen or French teenage prospect Dominique Malonga could be available for the Mystics at the No. 4 overall pick. However, two of those players are frontcourt players, and the Mystics have drafted a frontcourt player in the last three drafts.

Aaliyah Edwards and Shakira Austin both have some upside that the Mystics may want to explore; however, Austin has dealt with injuries every year of her career and Edwards was drafted by the previous front office, which means her future with the franchise could potentially be in question. What’s important to emphasize is that the new front office is not obligated to keep any players the Thibaults drafted, and that includes Austin and Edwards.

Mystics fans should be prepared for all possibilities this offseason, and that includes multiple trades or running it back with an improved supporting cast built around the promising upside of their young players.

The 2024 WNBA season ended for the Los Angeles Sparks quickly, as they missed the postseason for a fourth-consecutive season.

While we are still weeks away from free agency ramping up and months from WNBA action, the team has already begun getting to work for the 2025 season. The franchise parted ways with head coach Curt Miller and hired Lynne Roberts to take his place. Despite this low point in team history, they aren’t as far away as they seem from making some noise.

The Sparks have an All-Star in Dearica Hamby, an All-Rookie player in Rickea Jackson and Cameron Brink, who should be returning from her ACL injury ready to go. With this trio and the No. 2 overall pick in the 2025 WNBA Draft, it’s not farfetched to imagine Los Angeles making a run this season and returning to playoff contention.

Before that can happen, though, they need to fill out their roster. Here is a look at who is under contract, who will be a free agent and three questions the Sparks must think about during this free agency period:

Facts and figures*

Players under contract (contract status; 2025 salary)

• Julie Allemand (unprotected; $85,000)
• Cameron Brink (unprotected; $78,066)
• Lexie Brown (protected $96,408)
• Rae Burrell (unprotected; $125,000)
• Zia Cooke (unprotected $76,630)
• Dearica Hamby (protected veteran $202,000)
• Rickea Jackson (unprotected; $78,066)
• Azurá Stevens (protected veteran; $195,000)

Free agent (type; 2024 salary)

• Aari McDonald (restricted; $89,302)
• Kia Nurse (unrestricted; $142,500)
• Li Yueru (reserved; $64,767)

Total salary of free agents: $296,569

Total team salary: $1,036,170

Cap space: $570,930

2025 WNBA Draft picks (2025 salary)

• Round 1, No. 2 ($78,831)
• Round 2, No. 13 ($69,267)
• Round 3, No. 26 ($66,079)
• Round 3, No. 28 ($66,079)

1. Who must stay?

For a team that went 8-32 last year, almost no one is a must-keep player, minus Hamby, Jackson and Brink. WNBA rosters often have significant changes from year to year, and that is even more true for teams like LA that didn’t have much success last season.

The first step in free agency is the window between Jan. 11 and Jan. 20, when teams can make qualifying offers and core player designations.

Kia Nurse is an unrestricted free agent, so the Sparks could core her, meaning she will stay with the team on a one-year super max contract. LA making such a decision would be surprising, given that Nurse averaged 7.6 points, 1.6 assists and 1.3 rebounds per game. Aari McDonald is another interesting situation. The Sparks need to evaluate their guards and see who can contribute to their turnaround, and she is a restricted free agent.

2. Who can they add?

Sparks need quality guards like a fish needs water. Since the departure of Chelsea Gray after the 2020 season, they’ve struggled to find a sustainable backcourt.

Can the Sparks make a big splash and convince someone like Kelsey Plum of the Las Vegas Aces or Courtney Vandersloot from the New York Liberty to take their talents to LA? That might be too big of a jump, but maybe they can snag a guard from the Fever, such as Erica Wheeler or Kelsey Mitchell.

It will be interesting to see how the Sparks’ front office operates now that Miller is gone, and we should have a clearer vision of their plan for the first year of the Lynne Roberts era once the dust settles in free agency.

3. Who could they draft?

Photo by Michael Miller/ISI Photos/Getty Images

With USC forward Kiki Iriafen and Notre Dame guard Olivia Miles being deemed as the best players in the 2025 WNBA Draft behind UConn’s Paige Bueckers, the question being asked among fans is: Will the Sparks go with the best player available or opt for a guard regardless?

Personally, I think that the answer is Miles either way, but perhaps free agency will hint at the path they will take. If they clear up space for a starting guard and don’t make a splash in free agency, perhaps that means they’ll pick one up with the No. 2 pick. Or if they do grab a potential All-Star for the backcourt, that might indicate they’ll be leaning for a forward in the draft.

Regardless, this is a big season for Los Angeles. They have a new coach, a top pick, some exciting young players and a playoff drought they want to end. Making the right moves in the winter is key to having a good summer. If they miss the mark here, then the only thing that will change for the Sparks in 2025 will be the date on the calendar. And, frankly, that’s not an acceptable standard for a legacy franchise. Get it done. Start building a winner.

*Thanks to Her Hoop Stats for all roster information and salary numbers.

After a three-week holiday break, EuroLeague Women group play will resume this Tuesday, Jan. 7, and quite a bit has happened since the turn of the calendar year that will have an impact on the league’s competitive landscape.

First, there have been a handful of roster changes across the competition, as is typical for this time of year—particularly for imports. Center Nyara Sabally, who last played in EuroLeague Women for ZVVZ USK Praha, will now be suiting up for two-time defending champion Fenerbahçe Opet, joining big-name players like Tina Charles and Emma Meesseman in the team’s frontcourt.

The other top clubs in the competition are getting upgrades, too. Bridget Carleton is set to join ÇBK Mersin—the only team besides Fenerbahçe that’s still undefeated—while Valencia Basket Club had added Leonie Fiebich to its roster. It’s not uncommon to see the rich get richer around the halfway point of a EuroLeague Women season, which is more or less what’s happening here in 2025.

Not every club had had such luck, though. In fact, KGHM BC Polkowice dropped out of the competition entirely for what has only been described as “financial reasons.” According to FIBA, this means that all games that would have involved Polkowice are now canceled, and the competition will continue with Group F having five clubs instead of six.

Needless to say, there’s a lot to catch up on, but there’s a lot to look forward to as well. This week, Fenerbahçe will take on Valencia in a matchup between two championship contenders, while Mersin will look to keep its own undefeated streak alive against pleasant surprise Basket Landes. All EuroLeague Women games will be streamed live either via the EuroLeague Women YouTube channel or DAZN streaming service.

Tuesday, January 7

Tango Bourges Basket (5-3) vs. Beretta Famila Schio (5-3)

When: 2 p.m. ET

Where: Palazzetto Livio Rómare in Schio, Italy

How to watch: FIBA YouTube live stream

Notable players: Amy Okonkwo, Morgan Green, Pauline Astier, Kariata Diaby (Tango Bourges Basket); Kitija Laksa, Jasmine Keys, Janelle Salaün, Ivana Dojkić, Dorka Juhász (Beretta Famila Schio)

Matchup details: Bourges has retained its status as the highest-scoring team in Group E, with its stellar free throw shooting (84 percent) a major reason why. Outside of that, though, Bourges and Schio match up pretty well; both have dynamic young guards in Astier and Dojkić, shooters at multiple positions, and the ability to score in the paint with their height. It’s a big game for both clubs in the grand scheme of things, too; they’re two of three teams in Group E that currently have 5-3 records, so the winner will have an advantage down the road when playoff seeding becomes important.

Wednesday, January 8

Valencia Basket Club (7-1) vs. Fenerbahçe Opet (8-0)

When: 11 a.m. ET

Where: Metro Energy Sports Hall in Istanbul, Turkey

How to watch: DAZN

Notable players: Alina Iagupova, Leonie Fiebich, Stephanie Mavunga, Yvonne Turner, Kayla Alexander, Leticia Romero, Alba Torrens (Valencia Basket Club); Ariel Atkins, Emma Meesseman, Tina Charles, Gabby Williams, Nyara Sabally, Julie Allemand, Nikolina Milić, Sevgi Uzun (Fenerbahçe Opet)

Matchup details: This is a game we’ve been waiting for since the moment the second round groups were announced. Both teams are star-studded and at or near the top of several EuroLeague Women statistical categories, and Valencia is one of the few clubs that, on paper, can match Fenerbahçe’s level of individual talent. The debuts of Sabally and Fiebich only add to the excitement; there’s a good chance the two teams meet again in the playoffs, and given the potential for it to be a championship preview, this game is undoubtedly the one to watch for this week.

ÇBK Mersin (8-0) vs. Basket Landes (5-3)

When: 1:30 p.m. ET

Where: Espace François Mitterrand in Mont-de-Marsan, France

How to watch: FIBA YouTube live stream

Notable players: Marine Johannès, Natasha Howard, Kayla Thornton, Karlie Samuelson, Bridget Carleton, Yvonne Anderson, Iliana Rupert, Marine Fauthoux, Regan Magarity (ÇBK Mersin); Destiny Slocum, Leïla Lacan, Sam Fuehring, Luisa Geiselsöder (Basket Landes)

Matchup details: Mersin announced that it had parted ways with head coach Víctor Lapeña, though it’s hard to see that having much of an impact on such a talented team. The Turkish club ranks second in EuroLeague Women in field goal percentage (51 percent) and assists (24.9 per game) and is allowing the fewest points per game in the competition at 63.9. That doesn’t bode well for Landes, which is last among the competition’s remaining teams in points per game (66.5) and field goal percentage (41 percent). Landes isn’t going to be able to go toe-to-toe with Mersin individually and will need to find a way to keep its opponent from scoring easy baskets in the paint if it’s going to have a chance.

ZVVZ USK Praha (5-3) vs. Casademont Zaragoza (5-3)

When: 2 p.m. ET

Where: Pabellón Príncipe Felipe in Zaragoza, Spain

How to watch: FIBA YouTube live stream

Notable players: Ezi Magbegor, Brionna Jones, Maite Cazorla, Valeriane Ayayi, Maria Conde, Emese Hof (ZVVZ USK Praha); Markeisha Gatling, Helena Pueyo, Tanaya Atkinson, Stephanie Mawuli (Casademont Zaragoza)

Matchup details: Praha put together arguably its most impressive performance of the season in its last game against Polkowice, holding its opponent to just 45 points despite not having Magbegor’s services. Things will be more difficult for Praha this time around against Zaragoza, though, which has the size and physicality to compete against the Czech club on the interior. Praha and Zaragoza rank third and fourth in EuroLeague Women, respectively, in steals per game, and are both strong on the boards as well, so you can anticipate a hard-fought battle no matter which way the result goes.

Žabiny Brno (3-5) vs. Perfumerias Avenida (3-5)

When: 2:30 p.m. ET

Where: Pabellón Municipal de Würzburg in Salamanca, Spain

How to watch: FIBA YouTube live stream

Notable players: Elissa Cunane, Eliška Hamzová (Žabiny Brno); Sika Koné, Arica Carter (Perfumerias Avenida)

Matchup details: Avenida lost another one of its imports over the break when Mikiah Herbert Harrigan left the team, and it’s safe to say the Spanish club has failed to meet whatever expectations were placed upon it at the start of the season. This opens the door for another possible upset for Brno, which is coming off a win over Landes despite turning the ball over 24 times. At this point, it’s unlikely that either of these teams will be making any kind of noise in the EuroLeague Women playoffs, though they could be a good match for each other this week; the battle in the post between Cunane and Koné could be interesting, while Carter has quietly been having a strong season, most recently scoring 21 points against Bourges.