College Sports
What is Unrivaled? Rules, rosters for new basketball league
On Nov. 20, all six Unrivaled head coaches met in Miami to select the teams. Thirty-four of the league’s 36 players (the two wild-card spots were still being decided) were separated into six pods based on positions and style of play. From there, the six coaches worked collaboratively to create each team, picking at least […]

A new 3-on-3 league, Unrivaled is a domestic opportunity for WNBA players to compete during the offseason. But to those who helped bring the league to fruition, it was about bringing competitive basketball back to its simplest, rawest form, like playing hoops on the playground.Unrivaled also recently announced it will hold a 1-on-1 tournament from Feb. 10 to 14 that pits players against one another in a single-elimination, winner-take-all competition with a 0,000 reward for the winner and an additional ,000 for their 3-on-3 teammates.Monday and Friday night games will be on TNT, the league’s broadcast rights holder. Saturday games will be shown on TruTV. All games will also be available for streaming on Max.When the league was announced, one of Unrivaled’s selling points was that its average salaries would be higher than the WNBA’s — albeit with a fourth as many players.
What is Unrivaled?
Lunar Owls BC
Jump to Unrivaled’s rostersMist BCFounded by Breanna Stewart and Napheesa Collier, Unrivaled provides an opportunity for 36 of the top WNBA players to remain in the United States for an eight-week season that runs Jan. 17 to March 17 in a custom-built facility in Miami. It’s not the first domestic alternative league. Athletes Unlimited, a 5-on-5 league that launched in 2022, will play its fourth season from Feb. 5 to March 2 in Nashville, with 29 of 40 participants having WNBA experience.Stefanie Dolson, F/C, Washington Mystics
Tiffany Hayes, G, Las Vegas Aces
Kate Martin, G, Golden State Valkyries
Kayla McBride, G, Minnesota Lynx
Alyssa Thomas, F, Connecticut Sun
Jackie Young, G, Las Vegas Aces
How much are the players getting paid?
Aliyah Boston, F/C, Indiana Fever
Rae Burrell, G, Los Angeles Sparks
Jordin Canada, G, Atlanta Dream
Dearica Hamby, G, Los Angeles Sparks
Rhyne Howard, G, Atlanta Dream
Arike Ogunbowale, G, Dallas WingsEach Unrivaled game will feature three seven-minute quarters and a fourth quarter that the league is calling “winning score.” The winning score will be determined by adding 11 points to the leading team’s score through three quarters. For example, if the score is 50-48 heading into the final quarter, the first team to reach 61 points wins. There will never be overtime.Kahleah Copper, G, Phoenix Mercury
Chelsea Gray, G, Las Vegas Aces
Lexie Hull, G, Indiana Fever
Angel Reese, G, Chicago Sky
Azura Stevens, F/C, Los Angeles Sparks
Brittney Sykes, G, Washington MysticsPlayers will foul out after their sixth foul, but if the team has only three players available and one of them picks up a sixth foul, the player will remain in the game but incur technical fouls for each additional foul they commit.The games will use an 18-second shot clock, compared to the WNBA’s 24 seconds, and the clock will be stopped on made baskets only in the last 30 seconds of periods rather than in the last minute.Sabrina Ionescu and Jackie Young will compete in the inaugural season of Unrivaled, and are two of 17 former 5-on-5 and 3×3 Olympians in the league. Ethan Miller/Getty ImagesWhich players are involved?Unrivaled set out to get as many top WNBA players as possible to commit to the league. When league officials pitched it to them, all they had was a concept: “This is what we hope it’s going to look like,” and “this is what we want it to feel like.””I give a lot of credit to these players,” Cooper said. “They took a risk.”The 36 players competing in Unrivaled this season includes seven No. 1 WNBA draft picks (Aliyah Boston, Rhyne Howard, Sabrina Ionescu, Jackie Young, Stewart, Jewell Loyd and Brittney Griner), one WNBA MVP (Stewart) and 17 former Olympians.
Unrivaled organizers hope playing to a target score eliminates late fouls and speeds up the game overall. To that end, the free throw process also will be different. When a player is fouled — whether on a layup or a 3-pointer — only one free throw will be awarded. The single shot is worth two points for a foul on a 2-point field goal or three points if the foul occurred on a 3-point attempt. A free throw attempt after a foul on a made basket is worth one point.Rose BCUnrivaled aims to be the first league to compete with the WNBA financially and with its resources.
How were the rosters built?
Former Washington Mystics assistant Andrew Wade will lead the Laces, and Nola Henry, who recently spent time with the Los Angeles Sparks, will coach the Rose. Adam Harrington, a former assistant and director for player development for the Brooklyn Nets, will coach the Phantom. And WNBA and NBA skills coach DJ Sackmann will coach the Lunar Owls.DiJonai Carrington, G, Connecticut Sun
Aaliyah Edwards, F, Washington Mystics
Rickea Jackson, F, Los Angeles Sparks
Jewell Loyd, G, Seattle Storm
Breanna Stewart, F, New York Liberty
Courtney Vandersloot, G, New York LibertyUnrivaled has said it is offering “the highest average salary in professional women’s (team) sports.” League president Alex Bazzell told SB Nation in December that Unrivaled has a total salary pool of million, which puts the league’s average salary around 2,222.Unrivaled officials said the league has surpassed million in funding, with Milwaukee Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo, Olympic gold medalist Michael Phelps, U.S. Open champion Coco Gauff, South Carolina women’s basketball coach Dawn Staley and USC star JuJu Watkins among the investors.
Where will Unrivaled be played, and how long is the season?
Phantom BCTop stories of the week from Get exclusive access to thousands of premium articles a year from top writers.• 2025 NBA draft risers: 10 names to know »
• CFB: Predicting 68 starting QBs for ’25 »
• Man United on path to relegation? Let’s talk »
More ESPN+ content »
Cameron Brink, the No. 2 pick in the 2024 WNBA draft, has committed to playing in Unrivaled but will sit out this season as she recovers from a June 2024 ACL injury.”It was built by basketball people for basketball players,” Cooper said. “That’s our north star. … We have an incredible pool of 36 players that will make each other better, so we’re unique in that sense in the marketplace.”Shakira Austin, F/C, Washington Mystics
Cameron Brink, F, Los Angeles Sparks
Napheesa Collier, G, Minnesota Lynx
Skylar Diggins-Smith, G, Seattle Storm
Allisha Gray, G, Atlanta Dream
Courtney Williams, G, Minnesota Lynx
How are Unrivaled’s 3-on-3 rules different from the Olympic 3×3 event?
Weatherspoon will lead the Vinyl, while Handy will coach the Mist.Vinyl BCThe regular season will consist of a round-robin format, with the six teams facing each opponent at least once and each team playing 14 games. The top four teams based on record will advance to the playoffs. Head-to-head records and point differential will serve as tiebreakers.But Unrivaled, which will consist of six teams, looks to set itself apart with its salaries, amenities and style of play.Women’s basketball has been growing at an exponential pace over the past several years. On Friday, it will expand even more when Unrivaled tips off in Miami.The Unrivaled season will last eight weeks, including playoffs, and will be played entirely at the MediaPro Center in Miami. Games will be played each week on Monday, Friday and Saturday.Since the WNBA’s inaugural season in 1997, many of the league’s players have headed overseas to continue playing in the offseason — both to supplement their income and find high-level competition.Here’s everything you need to know about the league ahead of its inaugural season.
Who are the coaches?
In addition to their salary, Unrivaled players get equity in the league. Unrivaled officials declined to discuss the league’s player compensation with ESPN.But the coaches had no idea which teams they’d be leading until after the selection process was complete.2 Related
How to watch Unrivaled
The six head coaches have different levels of experience in the NBA and WNBA, headlined by former Chicago Sky coach Teresa Weatherspoon and former NBA assistant coach Phil Handy, who most recently spent five seasons with the Los Angeles Lakers.
Unrivaled rosters
UConn senior Paige Bueckers, the projected No. 1 pick in April’s WNBA draft, and LSU junior Flau’Jae Johnson have signed NIL deals with Unrivaled. Bueckers is expected to join the league in 2026.The average salary in the WNBA in 2024 was about 9,500, with the high around 2,000.Except for tip-off at the start of the game, all jump ball situations are replaced by alternating possessions.Laces BC“Everything was built for the players,” Luke Cooper, Unrivaled’s president of basketball operations, told ESPN. “The business was built for the players, the facility was built for the players, and the actual game — the 3-on-3 full court is rooted in how you would play basketball as a kid.””It feels like you are watching a basketball game and there just happens to be four less players on the court,” Cooper said. “It’s not a gimmick. It’s basketball with more space to operate with and a little shorter of a court, so the players have the stamina to play.”Natasha Cloud, G, Phoenix Mercury
Brittney Griner, C, Phoenix Mercury
Sabrina Ionescu, G, New York Liberty
Marina Mabrey, G, Connecticut Sun
Satou Sabally, F, Dallas Wings
Katie Lou Samuelson, F, Indiana FeverA’ja Wilson, the reigning WNBA MVP, and Rookie of the Year Caitlin Clark opted not to participate in Unrivaled this season.”It was putting the onus back on the coaches,” Cooper said.Unrivaled will be played on a 49.2-by-72-foot condensed full court rather than the half court (36 feet by 49 feet) used at the Olympics. For reference, the WNBA is played on a 94-by-50-foot court.The playoffs start March 16 — which is also Selection Sunday for men’s and women’s college basketball — with two single-elimination semifinal games. The championship game is March 17.”This game is rooted in how you would play basketball as a kid on a black top,” Cooper said. “There’s flow. There’s pace.”
College Sports
Livvy Dunne Gets Celebrity Troll Treatment While Attending Twins Game at Target Field
The Minnesota Twins are playing the Pittsburgh Pirates Friday night, in the first of a three-game weekend series at Target Field. On a beautiful summer night in Minneapolis, with Nelly scheduled to perform after, the Twins’ home stadium was at capacity by first pitch. But it wasn’t just the 2000s postgame rap concert that fans […]

The Minnesota Twins are playing the Pittsburgh Pirates Friday night, in the first of a three-game weekend series at Target Field. On a beautiful summer night in Minneapolis, with Nelly scheduled to perform after, the Twins’ home stadium was at capacity by first pitch.
But it wasn’t just the 2000s postgame rap concert that fans flocked to Target Field for this evening. In fact, there may have been just as many people there for tonight’s starting pitcher matchup between two 2025 All-Stars, the Twins’ Joe Ryan and the Pirates’ Paul Skenes.
Advertisement
It’s one of the better pitching matchups the Twins have hosted in recent memory. Ryan entered the night with a 2.76 ERA and 0.891 WHIP in 104.1 innings. Skenes is one of the only pitchers in baseball who’s looked better than Joe this season, posting a 1.94 ERA and 0.922 WHIP in 116 innings.
Related Headlines
Livvy Dunne in town watching Minnesota Twins vs Pittsburgh Pirates
One of the more notable fans in the house tonight, possibly to watch both Nelly and Skenes, is internet sensation and former LSU gymnast, Livvy Dunne, who started dating the Pirates’ 23-year-old phenom starter when the two were both attending Louisiana State University.
College Sports
3 most interesting non-conference matchups for Gophers hockey in 2025
We’re just over 80 days away from Gophers men’s hockey beginning their 2025 season on Oct. 3 against Michigan Tech. They have a loaded non-conference slate, so let’s break down the top three matchups. The greatest rivalry in college hockey returns after one year off. Minnesota will travel to Grand Forks on Oct. 17 and […]

We’re just over 80 days away from Gophers men’s hockey beginning their 2025 season on Oct. 3 against Michigan Tech. They have a loaded non-conference slate, so let’s break down the top three matchups.
The greatest rivalry in college hockey returns after one year off. Minnesota will travel to Grand Forks on Oct. 17 and 18 to face a much-improved North Dakota squad. The Fighting Hawks are coming off a disappointing 21-15-2 season, but they let go of long-time head coach Brad Berry.
North Dakota promoted within and hired Dane Jackson as a replacement. They completely revamped their roster this offseason, and they look like a serious contender in the NCHC. Minnesota will need to be on its best if it wants to leave Grand Forks with any points to its record.
Before hitting the road to face North Dakota, Minnesota will have a marquee non-conference tilt at 3M Arena at Mariucci when Boston College comes to town. It will be the Eagles’ first trip to Minneapolis since 2013, and the first time the teams have faced since 2016.
Related: Is Gavin McKenna’s commitment a warning sign for the Gophers?
Boston College was the No. 1-ranked team in the country for much of last season, and they finished the year 27-8-2 before losing to Denver in their regional final. The Gophers’ second series of the season will give up an early look at what level of team Bob Motzko has for 2025-26.
Minnesota will travel west to face the Pioneers in Denver on Nov. 28, but the game will be played at Ball Arena, the home of the Colorado Avalanche and Denver Nuggets. It will be the Gophers’ first game against Denver since 2011, which projects as one of the most talented teams in the country again.
The Gophers have five total non-conference games against teams that expect to be in the NCAA Tournament this season. Their record in these five games could set the tone for what we might see in conference play.
College Sports
Big 12 Coach Calls for Major Change When Paying Players
(Nathan Breisinger, Pittsburgh Sports Now) – The landscape of college sports appears to be changing daily and one of the most polarizing head coaches in college football is calling for more changes to help deal with revenue sharing and NIL payments. Colorado head coach Deion Sanders is advocating for a salary cap to provide an […]

(Nathan Breisinger, Pittsburgh Sports Now) – The landscape of college sports appears to be changing daily and one of the most polarizing head coaches in college football is calling for more changes to help deal with revenue sharing and NIL payments.
Colorado head coach Deion Sanders is advocating for a salary cap to provide an even playing field in a sport that is new to paying athletes.
“I wish there was a cap,” Sanders said during the Big 12 Media Days this week. “Like, the top-of-the-line player makes this, and if you’re not that type of guy, you know you’re not going to make that. That’s what the NFL does.
“All you gotta do is look at the [CFP] and see what those teams spent, and you’ll understand darn well why they’re in the playoffs.”
Deion Sanders on NIL and the current state of college football. pic.twitter.com/y6A5C3dWUP
— ESPN (@espn) July 9, 2025
“So the problem is, you got a guy that’s not that darn good, but he could go to another school and they give him a half million dollars. You can’t compete with that. And it don’t make sense.”
Sanders, who is now in his third year with the Buffaloes, is looking for a system that resembles the NFL.
“I wish it was truly equality,” he said. “Now they go back to doing stuff under the table. They go back to the agents. Now you’ve got parents trying to be agents, you’ve got the homeboys trying to be agents, you’ve got the friends trying to be agents. You got a lot of bull junk going on. And quite frankly, we’re sick of it. I’ll say it for everybody: We’re sick of it.”
Starting on July 1, 2025, universities were allowed to start sharing revenue with student-athletes for the 2025-26 school year, per the House Settlement. Schools can share up to $20.5 million with a majority of athletic departments expected to allocate 75 percent of that to the football program.
WVU director of athletics Wren Baker recently detailed how West Virginia will distribute the money.
Wren Baker Details How WVU Will Distribute Money in Revenue Sharing Era
However, programs will still work with third-party NIL collectives to bring in bigger deals for student-athletes that can surpass the revenue-sharing money. ‘NIL Go’ was created by the College Sports Commission and Deloitte to help ensure fair market value for deals.
Most of this story initially appeared on our partner site Pittsburgh Sports Now.
College Sports
Penn State AD Pat Kraft weighs in on men’s hockey commit Gavin McKenna
Gavin McKenna committed to Penn State men’s hockey on July 8. The future No. 1 overall selection of the 2026 NHL Draft is a huge deal for the Nittany Lions as McKenna is potentially the best player Penn State Athletics will ever have. Athletic Director Pat Kraft even knows it and weighed in his thoughts […]
Gavin McKenna committed to Penn State men’s hockey on July 8. The future No. 1 overall selection of the 2026 NHL Draft is a huge deal for the Nittany Lions as McKenna is potentially the best player Penn State Athletics will ever have.
Athletic Director Pat Kraft even knows it and weighed in his thoughts and excitement for the latest Nittany Lion commit. His statement read:
“We are so thrilled to have [McKenna] join our Hockey Valley family and become part of a special group of young men who represent everything great about Penn State. This team is built on character, work ethic and pride wearing the Blue & White, and Gavin is a perfect fit.
“He’s one of the most exciting young talents in the game and reflects the level of student-athlete we’re bringing to Penn State across all sports. His commitment is a testament to the national reputation [head coach] Guy Gadowsky and his staff have built, and we know he’ll thrive in the culture of excellence that surrounds our program. We can’t wait to see him compete alongside this incredible group and help push our program to even greater heights.”
McKenna’s commitment, as mentioned by both Kraft and Gadowsky in their statements, is a boost to Penn State Athletics as a whole.
His elite talent surpasses the NCAA before he’s even been drafted and only advances the Nittany Lion standard for years to come. Especially for a hockey program that is just getting started as a serious Division I team, McKenna opens doors for Penn State to build a more-than-respectable and extremely competitive program long-term.
“[McKenna] is a special player and terrific young man,” Gadowsky wrote in his statement. “. . . His arrival to Hockey Valley is extremely significant not only to our hockey program, but to Penn State [A]thletics and to college hockey as a whole. We are absolutely thrilled and excited to witness his contributions on the ice, to our locker room, and to the Penn State community. This is a great day to be a Nittany Lion!”
On July 10, McKenna gave his goodbye and expressed his gratitude to the Medicine Hat Tigers of the Western Hockey League on Instagram.
The incoming freshman will join No. 14 overall pick of the 2025 NHL Draft and defenseman Jackson Smith for the coming season. Penn State is also looking at more Canadian Hockey League prospects in hopes of strengthening the roster even further to follow up the 2024-25 season with an even better performance and outcome.
College Sports
Blues prospect Justin Carbonneau made a big decision that fans weren’t expecting
On Friday, the Blainville-Broisbriand Armada of the QMJHL announced that recent Blues draftee Justin Carbonneau will be making his return to the club for the 2025-26 season. Ça, ça commence bien le week-end #LeFuturEstMaintenant
pic.twitter.com/XNq2GcfBa2 — ArmadaBLB (@ArmadaBLB) July 11, 2025 Carbonneau had an offer at Boston College to play hockey in the NCAA and […]

On Friday, the Blainville-Broisbriand Armada of the QMJHL announced that recent Blues draftee Justin Carbonneau will be making his return to the club for the 2025-26 season.
Ça, ça commence bien le week-end
#LeFuturEstMaintenant
pic.twitter.com/XNq2GcfBa2
— ArmadaBLB (@ArmadaBLB) July 11, 2025
Carbonneau had an offer at Boston College to play hockey in the NCAA and show off his skills against a higher level of competition, but ultimately decided to stay and dominate the Q. What does this mean for Carbo as a prospect?
Playing time and upside
While the NCAA is a much higher level of competition than the QMJHL, that does not mean it is the only path to proving one’s caliber as a prospect.
Justin Carbonneau is a young skater with a lot of upside, but is still very raw as a prospect. This means there are a lot of areas of his game that are not as consistent or refined as they could be. Playing in a tougher league while still trying to work on mechanics might be too big of an ask to make, which could be one reason Carbo chose the Q.
Another reason is a clear path to playing time. Boston College has a talented hockey roster, so the minutes for Carbonneau to develop and show his skills were not guaranteed versus with the Armada. Deciding to play in the Q guarantees Carbonneau the biggest role on his team meaning lots of ice time, valuable time where he can still develop his mechanics and show off his impressive hockey ability in the junior league.
Furthermore, Carbonneau has more to think about than just his next game, now that he’s been drafted by the St. Louis Blues. Choosing to reject the NCAA offer has one more added benefit to his prospect status.
Path to the NHL
Justin Carbonneau is eligible to sign a two-way contract with the Blues, meaning they could call him up at any point. Following Doug Armstrong’s comments after the development camp, it sounded like the Blues organization was very impressed with Carbonneau’s performance and said he could compete for a roster spot right now.
Playing in the QMJHL gives him the flexibility to go back and forth between the NHL and his junior league if he does truly excel. In the NCAA, he would have had to wait for Boston College’s season to end, but now he can be utilized as an injury call-up or potentially as a starter in his own right.
Furthermore, this gives Carbonneau the chance to show off his skills again at the Blues training camp before the preseason begins. He is eligible and expected to be at training camp now that his roster decision is set.
This decision may have been made solely off the training camp opportunity, for that will be his real chance to crack the NHL roster and prove he’s ready for NHL ice. If his biggest priority is to make the team with the Blues as soon as possible, then it makes all the sense in the world why Carbonneau chose to return to the Armada.
Either way, the decision is set, and Blues fans should look for and expect another season of dominance from the young and ascending forward.
College Sports
Study shows Gophers hockey is a serious moneymaker for U of M athletics
College hockey is in the national sports headlines after super prospect Gavin McKenna opted to play his final developmental year in the NCAA at Penn State, instead of remaining in Canada. A recent article showed that the Nitanny Lions program is generating some serious revenue, but it’s still nowhere near Minnesota. Out of every athletic […]

College hockey is in the national sports headlines after super prospect Gavin McKenna opted to play his final developmental year in the NCAA at Penn State, instead of remaining in Canada. A recent article showed that the Nitanny Lions program is generating some serious revenue, but it’s still nowhere near Minnesota.
Out of every athletic department in the country that has FBS football, Gophers men’s hockey trailed only Arkansas baseball in terms of ticket sales for non-football and men’s basketball programs in 2023-24. Minnesota brought in $3.98 million in ticket sales, according to Sportico.com.
Related: Versatile Butler transfer commits to Gophers baseball
That number puts Gophers men’s hockey ahead of notable sports programs like LSU baseball, UConn women’s basketball and Nebraska women’s volleyball. Men’s college hockey is continuing to become more and more popular, but Minnesota’s program has always been in a class of its own in terms of fan base.
It’s interesting to note that reports came out earlier this week that the University of Minnesota’s athletics budget faces a $8.75 million deficit. The deficit is reportedly driven largely by the new House v. NCAA settlement, which results in new payments from the school to its student athletes.
Many athletic departments across the country don’t have the luxury of having a sport like men’s hockey drive in so much money, as Wisconsin, Penn State and Michigan are the only other programs on the list. So, it’s fair to wonder why the Gophers are struggling financially.
The entire landscape of college sports continues to seemingly change weekly, but this article shows that the men’s hockey program is something that makes Minnesota a unique University for college athletics. As more focus continues to shift to sports like football and men’s basketball, it will be important for the Gophers not to forget about their men’s hockey program.
-
Technology2 weeks ago
Pet fitness and wellness trends for a healthier and happier dog
-
College Sports2 weeks ago
WAC to Rebrand to UAC, Add Five New Members in 2026
-
Motorsports2 weeks ago
Why Cosmetics are Making Up for Lost Time in Women’s Sports
-
College Sports2 weeks ago
A new era of Dickinson hockey begins behind the bench – The Dickinson Press
-
Sports3 weeks ago
SEC Conference imposing a fine will create the opposite effect.
-
Health2 weeks ago
Florida assault survivor shares hope for change with new mental health law
-
Motorsports2 weeks ago
NASCAR This Week – Patriot Publishing LLC
-
Motorsports1 week ago
Team Penske names new leadership
-
Youtube3 weeks ago
Funniest MLB rain delay moments
-
Sports2 weeks ago
How to Market FAST Sports Content to New Audiences