Women's college basketball looking for next star with no Paige Bueckers and JuJu Watkins injured

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Women's college basketball looking for next star with no Paige Bueckers and JuJu Watkins injured

2025-04-08 11:09 Last Updated At：11:11

TAMPA, Fla. (AP) — Women’s college basketball has been on the rise these last few years, riding the wave of iconic players like Caitlin Clark, Angel Reese, Paige Bueckers and JuJu Watkins.

Now, with Clark and Reese in the WNBA, Bueckers headed to the league and Watkins sidelined for the foreseeable future with an ACL injury, it raises the question of who will pick up the torch and continue that momentum.

There may be no clear candidate to become the face of the game, though there's no shortage of talented players, including UCLA’s Lauren Betts, Notre Dame's Hannah Hidalgo, Texas' Madison Booker, UConn freshman Sarah Strong and South Carolina freshman Joyce Edwards. And there are more looming on the horizon, like high school sensation Aaliyah Chavez who will be making her collegiate debut at Oklahoma next season.

The ratings for the women's NCAA Tournament leading into the title game Sunday didn’t match last year’s record numbers, though they were better than nearly every other year in NCAA history. The championship game averaged 8.5 million viewers, according to ESPN, which made it the third-highest watched title contest.

“It’s a great sign that without Caitlin we’re still certainly on the ascent,” ESPN analyst Rebecca Lobo said. “Hopefully, that’s the same even without the star power next year of Paige Bueckers and JuJu. The game is at a place where it can still grow.”

The talent pool continues to get stronger, as was evident in the title game performances by Strong (24 points and 15 rebounds) and Edwards (10 points, five rebounds). As expected, both impacted the game though UConn came away with its 12th national championship, ending a nine-year drought with an 82-59 victory over South Carolina.

“Runs like this make you still feel relevant, you still have an impact. Kids still respond,” Huskies coach Geno Auriemma said. “Our coaching staff is really, really good at what they do. And I’m fortunate enough to coach great kids who want to win for each other.”

Even though UConn was back on top at the end, more teams showed this season they could compete with the best. UCLA, which held the No. 1 spot in the AP poll for 14 weeks, had no seniors on its team and coming off its first NCAA Final Four ever, could go a step further next season.

South Carolina will be back too with a young nucleus led by Edwards and MiLaysia Fulwiley.

“I’m excited for what our team will look like next year,” South Carolina coach Dawn Staley said. “I am, because I do think they’ll be talented enough to get here, especially with getting in the transfer portal and getting some experienced pieces that can help with this young group.”

Women's basketball, like other college sports, has changed the last few years with the transfer portal. There are over 1,200 players currently in the portal, a person with access to it shared with The Associated Press.

Where some of those impact players — Olivia Miles, Cotie McMahon and Ta'Niya Latson — end up could not only shape which teams rise up to challenge UConn and South Carolina next season, but also which player separates herself from the rest.

AP March Madness bracket: https://apnews.com/hub/ncaa-womens-bracket and coverage: https://apnews.com/hub/march-madness Get poll alerts and updates on the AP Top 25 throughout the season. Sign up here.

The Latest: Trump allies turn on one another as controversies accumulate

2025-04-22 21:48 Last Updated At：21:50

Harvard University is defying the Trump administration’s demands to limit activism on campus and suing to halt a federal freeze on more than $2.2 billion in grants.

Vice President JD Vance continues his Asia tour amid uncertainty over tariffs.

Some 5.3 million student loan borrowers whose loans are in default could soon see their wages garnished by the Education Department.

And Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth is getting support in the White House after infighting and backstabbing within the Trump administration following media reports that he shared sensitive military details in another Signal messaging chat, this time with his wife and brother.

Here's the Latest:

The infighting and backstabbing that plagued Trump’s first term have returned as a threat to his second, with deepening fissures over trade, national security and questions of personal loyalty.

The latest turmoil threatens to engulf the Pentagon, where Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has pushed out top advisers and faces fresh controversy over sharing sensitive information about airstrikes in Yemen outside of classified channels. A former Pentagon spokesperson who was ousted last week wrote in Politico that Trump should fire Hegseth for presiding over a “full-blown meltdown.”

The interpersonal drama is not — at least yet — a dominant plot line of Trump’s return to the White House. But its reemergence after a period of relative discipline in his ranks reflects a turbulent management style that has been suppressed or papered over, not reformed.

▶ Read more about the infighting within the Trump administration

Trump called the institutions “two really GREAT places” as he announced his upcoming schedule in a social media post.

It’s tradition for the commander in chief to speak at one of the military service academies and West Point’s commencement is May 24.

Alabama’s website says commencement ceremonies are May 2-4.

Vance held talks with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday as New Delhi looks to avoid American tariffs, negotiate a bilateral trade deal with Washington and strengthen ties with the Trump administration.

Vance, who is on a largely personal four-day visit to India, met with Modi at his residence in New Delhi and the two leaders “reviewed and positively assessed the progress in various areas of bilateral cooperation,” Modi’s office said in a statement. They also “welcomed the significant progress” in the negotiations of an expected trade deal between the two countries, the statement said.

The White House, in a statement, said that Vance and Modi set the terms for ongoing talks, “laying down a roadmap for further discussions.” It’s a sign that talks are moving forward but remain far from finalized, though Trump administration officials also spoke with their counterparts from India in a sign of the high level of engagement.

The Trump administration has portrayed its strategy of tariffs as forcing negotiations that could limit the reach and influence of China, the world’s dominant manufacturer.

▶ Read more about Vance and Modi’s meeting

Harvard University announced Monday that it has filed suit to halt a federal freeze on more than $2.2 billion in grants after the institution said it would defy the Trump administration’s demands to limit activism on campus.

In an April 11 letter to Harvard, the Trump administration had called for broad government and leadership reforms at the university and changes to its admissions policies. It also demanded the university audit views of diversity on campus and stop recognizing some student clubs. The administration has argued that universities allowed antisemitism to go unchecked at campus protests last year against Israel’s war in Gaza.

Harvard President Alan Garber said the university would not bend to the demands. Hours later, the government froze billions of dollars in federal funding.

Harvard’s suit called the funding freeze “arbitrary and capricious,” saying it violated its First Amendment rights and the statutory provisions of Title VI of the Civil Rights Act.

Within hours, the White House lashed back.

▶ Read more about the lawsuit