The opening women’s college basketball games looked great on paper. In practice, it reminds us that teams don’t pick up where they left off and, in fact, start over each year.

The juggernaut No. 3 USC Trojans looked sloppy, disorganized and lost for most of the game but snuck out of their contest against No. 20 Ole Miss Rebels with a 68-66 victory thanks to a pair of late-game Kiki Iriafen free throws. The No. 5 UCLA Bruins had a much smoother time, defeating No. 17 Louisville Cardinals 66-59. Lauren Betts was electric, registering her first double-double of the season with 18 points and 13 rebounds.

Here’s how each game went and how the Southern California teams got wins in France.

How the Trojans won

This was ugly basketball, without question. The Trojans shot 40 percent from the field, and the Rebels converted just 29 percent of their shots. Turnovers were frequent and often for both sides; Ole Miss had 16, but USC overwhelmed that mark with a whopping 26.

Still, an ugly win is a victory, and USC got the job done.

JuJu Watkins got going during the second quarter and ended with 27 points on 8-for-19 shooting. She also registered 10 rebounds, four assists, three steals and five blocks. The USC transfers, Iriafen and Talia von Oelhoffen, will need some time to adjust to this team and playing alongside Watkins, but the first game did show some glimmers of what they can be. Iriafen had 22 points and found her rhythm, while von Oelhoffen struggled, scoring just two points, but they were important ones down the stretch.

Ole Miss stayed in the game thanks to Madison Scott, who we mentioned was a player to watch. Scott scored 14 points for the Rebels. KK Deans also had a strong showing, scoring 19 points to lead Ole Miss. In the final frame, the Ole Miss duo worked together, with Scott dishing the ball to Deans, who hit a jumper to give them a 66-64 advantage with 1:43 left to play. However, von Oelhoffen drove into the paint, was fouled and hit her pair of free throws to even the game.

With 21 seconds left, Ole Miss failed to inbound the ball and Iriafen snagged it. She passed up a shot, and the ball swung around to von Oelhoffen, who missed a jumper, but Iriafen got the rebound and was fouled on her shot attempt. She hit the free throws, and after the Rebels missed their last shot attempt, USC walked away with the 68-66 win.

How the Bruins won

Louisville started the matchup against UCLA on a nice 6-0 run and stayed in control during the opening quarter, leading 18-13 after 10 minutes of play. Then, Betts got going, distributing the ball well with four dimes in the second quarter, and UCLA took the lead in the closing seconds of the half with a Londynn Jones 3-pointer.

The Cardinals didn’t just bow down to the Bruins; they fought back to start the third quarter. Nyla Harris and Ja’Leah Williams scored in bunches, and midway through the period, everything was even at 40. UCLA went on a 5-0 run to close out the quarter and entered the fourth ahead 50-46.

Betts closed the door at any hopes of a potential upset in the final minutes of this one. She made consecutive baskets with under five minutes to go and continued to facilitate the ball well, with her teammates Jones and Timea Gardiner knocking down shots to secure the 66-59 win.

With the 2024-25 NCAA women’s basketball season right around the corner, it’s a good time to start thinking about which collegiate players have the best chance at getting drafted to the WNBA next spring.

Though a lot can happen over the course of the season, it’s widely assumed that UConn’s Paige Bueckers will be the first player taken in the 2025 draft. Bueckers is far from the only big-name collegiate player to watch, though; the 2025 draft class is projected to be a fairly deep one, particularly at the guard position, and while we don’t yet know the complete draft order (the draft lottery will take place on Sunday, Nov. 17), there are a handful of names that will likely be chosen sooner in the draft rather than later.

The following is, of course, far from an exhaustive list. There are plenty more NCAA players who are worth following if you’re a WNBA fan, and we’ll be taking more in-depth looks at them here at Swish Appeal throughout the season. That being said, here are some names to put on your radar before the games begin.

Kiki Iriafen (USC)

2023-24 stats (with Stanford): 19.4 points, 11 rebounds and 2.3 assists per game

If the 2025 WNBA Draft was held today, Iriafen would have the best chance at challenging Bueckers for the No. 1 overall pick. Among the frontcourt players in the class, Iriafen’s game is the most polished, with a quick first step and reliable midrange jumper making her an extremely difficult cover from the free throw line and below. The only question for Iriafen is how she’ll fit alongside fellow star JuJu Watkins on her new team; if the pair can establish chemistry early on in the season, there’s no telling how good Iriafen will be looking come draft time.

Ja’Naiya “JJ” Quinerly (West Virginia)

2023-24 stats: 19.8 points, 2.7 assists and 2.9 steals per game

Quinerly broke out last season as a guard who can control the game on both ends of the floor. She’s always been a tenacious and havoc-inducing defender, as evidenced by her consistently excellent steal numbers, and she’s a legitimate scoring threat now, too. WNBA scouts may now look to see if Quinerly can improve as a playmaker; at her height (5-foot-8), she may be asked to play more as a primary ball handler in the pros than she does at West Virginia.

Laila Phelia (Texas)

2023-24 stats (with Michigan): 16.8 points, 3.6 rebounds and 1.2 steals per game

There aren’t as many standout wing players in this class as there are lead guards, which opens the door for Phelia to be a draft riser in her first season at Texas. Phelia began her collegiate career as a defensive specialist, but since then she’s been able to leverage her size and physicality into capable offensive production. She’s going to be playing alongside some major offensive talent at Texas, so Phelia’s areas of development to monitor will be those that make players of her physical archetype successful in the WNBA, namely 3-point shooting and off-ball movement.

Raven Johnson (South Carolina)

2023-24 stats: 8.1 points, 4.8 assists and 2.1 steals per game

Johnson has made a name for herself as a hard-nosed point-of-attack defender who spearheads the South Carolina machine, and while she was once a player who opponents would willingly leave open beyond the arc, she’s shown considerable progress as a spot-up shooter. Johnson pushes the envelope by turning defense into offense and often plays bigger than she is; physically, she’s certainly ready for the pros. Can she make further strides as a scorer in her fourth collegiate season?

Makayla Timpson (Florida State)

2023-24 stats: 14.3 points, 10.1 rebounds and 2.5 blocks per game

No matter how the game of basketball evolves, shot-blocking never goes out of style, and Timpson is one of the best bigs in the country at turning opponents away at the rim. She’s got everything you’d want in a defensive-playmaking forward, including the wingspan, the vertical and the anticipation, and she’s a solid offensive player too, capable of finishing plays in the post and as a roller. Timpson may not be the biggest or strongest post player, but she has what it takes to thrive in an aggressive defensive scheme.

Olivia Miles (Notre Dame)

2022-23 stats: 14.3 points, 7.3 rebounds and 6.9 assists per game

Before suffering a torn ACL in 2023, Miles was one of the most statistically productive players in the NCAA, having recorded a triple-double on several occasions and seeming destined to be a lottery pick in the WNBA Draft. Now, she’ll have to share Notre Dame’s backcourt with reigning ACC Rookie of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year Hannah Hidalgo—an exciting and extremely talented pairing that will nonetheless require Miles to prove that she can function off the ball and be an outside scoring threat.

Saniya Rivers (NC State)

2023-24 stats: 12.5 points, 6.1 rebounds and 2.1 steals per game

To call Rivers an elite athlete would almost feel like a disservice. She regularly does things on the court that most players are physically unable to do, particularly on the defensive end, where her massive wingspan and relentless activity make her a game-changer on the perimeter. Rivers’ offensive game is still developing, and she’ll likely be drafted to the WNBA as more of a “project,” but a team willing to invest in her development with patience could have a uniquely impactful player on its hands in the future.

Aneesah Morrow (LSU)

2023-24 stats: 16.4 points, 10 rebounds and 2.5 steals per game

Morrow may only be 6-foot-1, but she certainly doesn’t play like it in the paint. An extremely physical forward, Morrow excels at scoring through contact, and she’s going to draw plenty of fouls as opponents try to keep her off the boards. How Morrow’s game translates to the pros as a smaller frontcourt player remains to be seen, but she has the strength, the motor and the post-up game to make her a potential first-round draft pick.

Azzi Fudd (UConn)

2022-23 stats: 15.1 points, 1.3 steals and 2.3 made 3-pointers per game

There may not be a prospect in the class with more to gain from a healthy season than Fudd, who has struggled with injuries throughout her collegiate career. When she’s healthy, Fudd is one of the country’s deadliest outside shooters, with a silky-smooth form and the versatility on her jumper to hit 3-pointers off screens and off the dribble. Fudd’s skill as a shooter is undeniable, especially when stacked up against the other guards in this class; she’ll have to prove that she can stay on the court, though, having played just 42 total games in her first three seasons.

Shyanne Sellers (Maryland)

2023-24 stats: 15.6 points, 5.8 rebounds and 5.5 assists per game

Though the 6-foot-2 Sellers profiles as a wing, Maryland’s lack of a traditional point guard in recent seasons has forced her into more of a ball handling role. The Terrapins look to be more balanced this season, however, which should let Sellers shine as the three-level scorer we know she’s capable of being. Look for Sellers to increase her scoring and cut down on her turnovers as she enters her senior campaign.

Established excellence brings high expectations.

That’s where No. 1 South Carolina finds themselves as the 2024-25 NCAAW season begins. The defending national champs’ season tips off on Monday evening in Las Vegas against Michigan in the Hall of Fame Series (7:30 p.m. ET, TNT/TruTV). Anything less than a 40th-straight win in dominating fashion will be perceived as a disappointment for head coach Dawn Staley’s squad.

The Gamecocks return all but one player—Kamilla Cardoso, the No. 3 pick in the 2024 WNBA Draft—from last season’s undefeated, championship-winning team. (Currently, junior forward Ashlyn Watkins remains away from the team.) They also added another highly-regarded freshman class, headlined by forward Joyce Edwards. The No. 3-ranked recruit and Gatorade National Player of the Year, the 6-foot-3 Edwards profiles as game-changing force. Her combination of strength and skill should make her hard for opponents to handle in the post, as she can score with craft or power around the basket, in addition to controlling the glass as a rebounder. On top of that, she possesses some passing chops and an ability to handle in transition, equipping her with a multi-dimensional skillet rare for a player of her size. In the Gamecocks’ first exhibition game, she posted a double-double of 19 points and 12 rebounds in just 18 minutes. The second exhibition contest saw her go for another double-double of 20 points and 11 boards.

So while Edwards’ game is different from that of the 6-foot-6 Cardoso, a traditional center who rolled to the basket, rebounded and protected the rim, she, like Cardoso, could be South Carolina’s “separator,” the player who takes the Gamecocks from great to greatness. Expect redshirt freshman Adhel Tac, a 6-foot-5 forward who was with the team last season but did not play, to fill the skillset vacated by Cardoso.

It’s less likely that the Gamecocks’ third freshman, 5-foot-9 guard Maddy McDaniel, will have significant opportunity to contribute. That’s not a slight on McDaniel, a top-15 recruit in the class of 2024. Rather, South Carolina’s backcourt is stacked, as senior Te-Hina Paopao, junior Raven Johnson and sophomore MiLaysia Fulwiley represent the most talented guard triumvirate in the country, brining a combination of pick-and-roll mastery, pull-up proficiency, point-of-attack defense and fastbreak fury. If McDaniel does debut, it likely will be due to a demonstrable South Carolina advantage on the scoreboard.

To surprise the nation and prevent such a situation, Michigan will be relying on their youngsters. As our Chelsea Leite noted last week when identifying the freshmen to watch in 2024-25, the Wolverines claim two of the class’ most intriguing talents: guard Syla Swords and forward Olivia Olson. With last season’s leading scorer, Laila Phelia, opting to leave Ann Arbor for Austin, there is an opportunity for Swords and Olson to become instant-impact stars for a Michigan team not expected to contend in the now-bigger Big Ten. Among returners, only senior guard Jordan Hobbs saw significant minutes for the Wolverines last season. The team’s leading assister who shot almost 38 percent from 3, she’ll be counted on to put her young teammates in favorable positions to score with her passing and floor spacing. However, outside of Hobbs spearheading an incredibly hot and high-volume 3-point shooting night for the Maize and Blue, expect them to be outmatched under Vegas’ bright lights.

Game information

No. 1 South Carolina Gamecocks (0-0) vs. Michigan Wolverines (0-0)

When: Monday, Nov. 4 at 7:30 p.m. ET

Where: T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, NV

How to watch: TNT/truTV

The NCAAW is kicking off the 2024-25 season with some interesting tournaments and events.

This is why UCLA and USC, two West Coast teams, will begin their season in Paris, France, participating in the second Aflac Oui-Play event. (Wow, I see that regional competitiveness is definitely out the window nowadays.)

Both Southern California juggernauts will be favored in their games, but that doesn’t mean it’ll be an easy trip to Europe. No. 3 USC will face No. 20 Ole Miss at 12 p.m. ET on ESPN, while No. 5 UCLA will take on No. 17 Louisville at 2:30 p.m. ET on ESPN 2. These games are a great opportunity for Louisville and Ole Miss to surprise these top-five teams and a chance for USC and UCLA to cement themselves as title favorites.

It starts with JuJu Watkins

USC is top-ranked team that can threaten to take down South Carolina for the national title. There are many reasons why the Trojans could be the nation’s best team. Two of the biggest are their new players; they have Stanford transfer and senior forward Kiki Iriafen joining the team, along with Oregon State transfer and graduate guard Talia von Oelhoffen. Their arrivals raise Southern Cal’s ceiling exponentially, but ultimately, they’ll go as far as sophomore JuJu Watkins takes them.

In this contest, priority one, two, and three for Ole Miss should be making Watkins’ time in Paris as frustrating as possible. They must deny her the ball, double team her and force her into tough shots. Make one of the new transfers beat you. But whatever Iriafen or von Oelhoffen may do, the Rebels must stop this game from being the JuJu in Paris extravaganza.

Madison Scott should help with that. She averaged 12.8 points, 6.4 rebounds and 3.4 assists for Ole Miss last year and is expected to have a similar load this season. If the Rebels can get off to a good start, perhaps they can make things difficult for the Trojans as they adjust to their new roster on the fly.

UCLA has something to say

USC is gaining many headlines thanks to Watkins’ superstar power, but make no mistake about it: UCLA is just as good. Led by dominant junior big Lauren Betts, the Bruins match up well against most opponents. Not only does Betts give them an inside presence, but their backcourt of junior guard Kiki Rice and Washington State graduate guard transfer Charlisse Leger-Walker also gives them weapons all over the floor. This season, they should have a top offense and defense, overwhelming most teams on both ends of the court and leading to many wins.

For Louisville to avoid that fate, they’ll have to dominate the glass and have a big game from Ja’Leah Williams, a transfer guard from Miami.

Game information

No. 20 Ole Miss (0-0) vs. No. 3 USC (0-0)

When: Monday, Nov. 4 at 12 p.m. ET

Where: Adidas Arena in Paris, France

How to watch: ESPN

No. 17 Louisville (0-0) vs. No. 5 UCLA (0-0)

When: Monday, Nov. 4 at 2:30 p.m. ET

Where: Adidas Arena in Paris, France

How to watch: ESPN 2