UConn vs. Iowa Set for Women’s Classic

^{December 20, 2025 | Edition #172}

Hey, Hoophead!

First and foremost, huge congratulations to Candace Parker and Elena Delle Donne for moving one step closer to basketball immortality. Christmas definitely came early for legends. And speaking of the holidays, sure, Santa’s still five days away, but the teams across the country are wrapping up their schedules this weekend. Not without gifting us a day featuring two ranked vs ranked games, though.

Still, not every headline feels merry today, especially in Connecticut.

The ‘Sun’ May Set in Connecticut

The writing may be on the wall; Connecticut is staring at the loss of its lone major pro sports team!

Deep down, we all knew this day was coming the moment the Mohegan Tribe put the Connecticut franchise up for sale. Still, there was that little bit of hope that even after a sale, the team would stay local. 

Now, that hope is starting to fade faster than the Sun’s fourth-quarter leads this season. The latest reports say that the Houston Rockets’ ownership group, led by Tilman Fertitta, is engaged in serious talks to acquire the franchise and relocate it to Houston. 

Not long ago, Stephen Pagliuca tried to buy the Sun and move them to Boston, putting forward a figure the WNBA had never seen before. The huge historic number stunned everyone.

But the league shut it down because Pagliuca hadn’t even applied for an expansion franchise. Fair enough…until you ask: how do you explain the Marc Lasry situation?

The former Bucks owner and Connecticut native even offered to match Pagliuca’s bid and was ready to keep the team in the state. Still, the league rejected that offer, too.

At this point, it really does feel like the league is leaning toward prioritizing NBA ownership groups. Just look around. The new teams in Cleveland, Detroit, and Philadelphia are all backed by their NBA counterparts. The Valkyries are tied to the Warriors, and the Toronto Tempo shares ownership with the Raptors.

But think about this: in the early 2000s, NBA teams were literally walking away from the WNBA. Even the Connecticut Sun themselves were sold by the Orlando Magic. That history is exactly why it feels almost disrespectful that the Mohegan Tribe can’t now sell the franchise on their own terms.

And with the league clearly preferring NBA-backed ownership over independent groups, it raises a bigger question: if this is the direction the WNBA is moving, who’s to say Connecticut will be the last?

Stanford Pulls Off Epic Comeback

Stanford is a program that had been left behind in the NIL era, with its academic focus hurting recruiting and leading to its first missed Big Dance since 1987 last season. But only if that could stop the Cardinal from pulling off an “upset,” a word none of us would’ve ever dreamt of using a few years back.

Down eight heading into the fourth, Kate Paye’s side stormed out of the gates with a 10–0 run, jumping ahead for their first lead since midway through the second quarter. Holding Washington scoreless on its first five shots and forcing eight turnovers, Stanford outscored UW 25–12 over the final 10 minutes.

Freshmen Hailee Swain (13 points) and Lara Somfai (14 points) led the 67–62 win. While the final score might have given it away, the celebration still tapped into a trend that’s got the entire hoops world buzzing. You won’t want to miss this one!

But from there, parity was restored.

In front of the biggest crowd of this NCAA women’s basketball season, No. 7 Maryland put on a show, crushing Central Connecticut 98–30.

With the win, the Terps moved to 13–0 in non-conference play after pouring in 39 points in the first quarter, the second-most in a quarter in program history. They also shot over 70 percent from the field and 50 percent from deep, doing it all with just nine players available.

But it makes sense when you have players like Yarden Garzon and Oluchi Okananwa. The two paired their scoring ability with a knack for rebounds. Okananwa, especially, stuffed the stat sheet (22 points, 10 rebounds, 6 assists, and 4 steals). She pretty much did it all, even if it took snatching the ball out of her opponent’s hands and leaving them flat on the floor.

Watch this nasty steal + score here!

And obviously, the 13,000 kids who packed XFINITY Center for Field Trip Day loved every single minute of it.

The Buzzer-Beater! 1.5 Seconds, Down by 2, Game Won - How Even?!

NYC Set for Holiday Hoops - UConn vs Iowa

Christmas has come early, as four ranked teams storm into New York’s most populous borough for a can’t-miss Women’s Champions Classic showdown.

Before Geno Auriemma’s Lady Huskies take the floor against Iowa, he’ll be watching the team that last took down UConn. Yes, it’s No. 17 Tennessee vs. No. 16 Louisville at 11 a.m. ET. Hard to believe, but this is their first regular-season meeting going all the way back to November 2010.

Since then, they’ve only crossed paths when it really mattered, in March. The Cardinals have had the upper hand in those. No wonder Kim Caldwell knows this won’t be easy. She didn’t shy away from calling out her team, or rather, warning.

This is the one ‘dumb’ issue she wants them to fix!

Then comes the main event. No. 11 Iowa and No. 1 UConn will meet for the first time since that unforgettable 2024 Final Four, when Caitlin Clark and the Hawkeyes held off Paige Bueckers and the Huskies to book their place in the national championship game.

A lot has changed since then. UConn are now the defending champions and the No. 1 team in the country, and they’ll be looking to add one more to their 11 wins. Sure, all signs point to another UConn win. But let’s not forget Iowa still brings back one face that stunned the Huskies last time out. No, it wasn’t Caitlin Clark who delivered the game-high. See if you remembered it right!

Still, UConn's offense might be too much for Iowa. Hawkeyes will have to pick their poison: defending Azzi Fudd and Blanca Quiñonez on the perimeter, or collapsing in the paint to mark Sarah Strong.

Whatever happens, this one’s going to be fun. Tune in at 1:30 p.m. ET sharp!

Red Flag or Green Flag? UConn Trio’s Christmas Game Reveals Azzi’s Cute-Weird Tradition

Unrivaled Hype Takes Off

The new Unrivaled season is right around the corner, and the hype train has officially left the station. Captains are locked in, media day is in full swing, those fun TikToks have taken over our feeds, and somehow, in year one, the Breeze BC are already stealing the spotlight.

The Paige Bueckers and Cameron Brink duo has completely broken the internet with their chemistry, and fans can’t stop talking about it. The latest was this one video where Cam was getting a face mask fit, and Paige…apparently played the most important role. Catch the fun moment here!

Meanwhile, this Christmas, every WNBA fan seems to share the same wish as CBA tension rises. And probably no one captured that feeling better than the New York City Central Labor Council, which parked a truck outside the NBA Store in a show of support for the WNBPA. And wait till you see the message plastered on it!

1. ‘We Want a 2026 Season’: WNBPA President Clarifies Union’s CBA Stance After Strike Authorization Vote - Full Story 

2. Fernandez Hands Paige Bueckers Power in Wings Rebuild - Full Story 

3. "Real Test!" Auriemma Sounds Alarm Ahead of Iowa Showdown - Full Story 

4. Jan Jensen Shares Honest Update on Caitlin Clark’s Iowa Ties - Full Story 

That’s it for today, folks! We’ll look to knock on your inbox soon with more interesting stories!

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