Utah Utes – The News Desk

WNBA 2024 mock draft: Caitlin Clark, Paige Bueckers and Cameron Brink headline

12Dec

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WNBA 2024 mock draft: Caitlin Clark, Paige Bueckers and Cameron Brink headline

The 2024 WNBA Draft order is set. Indiana won the draft lottery Sunday, giving the Fever the first pick in what could be one of the deepest drafts in league history. Could is the operative word, as every draft-eligible senior in this class has the opportunity to return to college for a fifth season due to the COVID-19 bonus year given to every player who suited up in 2020-21.Indiana is the fourth team in the last decade to earn consecutive No. 1 picks after Seattle had the top selections in 2015 and 2016, Las Vegas had a three-year stretch of picking first from 2017-2019, and New York won the lottery in 2020 and 2021. The Storm won two titles with the duo of Jewell Loyd and Breanna Stewart, and the Aces have done the same with the trio of Kelsey Plum, A’ja Wilson and Jackie Young. The Fev...

Women’s college basketball power rankings: South Carolina returns to a familiar spot

22Nov

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Women’s college basketball power rankings: South Carolina returns to a familiar spot

If the hope was that two weeks of basketball would have given a clearer picture of the hierarchy in women’s college basketball this season, that has not been the case. In fact, most of my conversations since Nov. 6 have featured some variation of, “Wait, is Team X good?”Aside from South Carolina at the top — stop me if you’ve heard that before — every other projected contender has taken its lumps. While the Gamecocks roll through their opposition, most teams around the country need some time to figure out new rosters and systems. Growing pains were expected, like LSU and Virginia Tech integrating new transfers, or Maryland and Indiana dealing with the graduations of WNBA first-round picks.Nevertheless, on the whole, the quality of play around the country has been better than expected. But...

Women’s college basketball top 25: LSU, UConn, UCLA lead 2023-24 rankings

29Sep

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Women’s college basketball top 25: LSU, UConn, UCLA lead 2023-24 rankings

The 2022-23 women’s college basketball season ended on a high note as nearly 10 million viewers tuned in to watch LSU and Iowa — two teams on seemingly fate-driven runs — collide in the national championship. The Tigers took home their first title under Kim Mulkey and then turned the offseason into more wins by signing the top two players out of the transfer portal and welcomed the No. 1 high school recruiting class to Baton Rouge.But now, it’s a new season. Every team is 0-0. And though the Tigers remain the top team in our preseason projections, several other programs — some perennial powers, some new faces and some programs with chips on their shoulders — look like they could be holding the trophy in Cleveland in April.As squads rebuilt, reloaded and re-tooled this offseason, The Athle...

Behind the scenes of Brett Yormark’s yearlong push to get the Big 12 to 16

28Sep

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Behind the scenes of Brett Yormark’s yearlong push to get the Big 12 to 16

Mack Rhoades was pacing in his vacation home in New Mexico, starting to seriously fear the deal was falling apart. Brett Yormark was back home in New York on an endless run of phone calls. It wasn’t looking good.Arizona was supposed to be across the finish line. The school had already requested and was approved for Big 12 membership. Yormark, the Big 12 commissioner, awaited final verbal confirmation late on the night of Aug. 3. Arizona president Bobby Robbins went into a Board of Regents meeting to get their blessing, anticipating the board would urge Arizona State to make a move. But Arizona State president Michael Crow, in a fervent effort to preserve the Pac-12, put up a good fight. Now Arizona’s plans were in doubt.Meanwhile, what was going on with Oregon and Washington? The latest r...