Unlike the NBA, which has allowed NCAA players to leave college early for professional careers for more than 50 years, the WNBA restricts anyone in the country from entering the draft before they turn 22 or graduate early.
Until recently, there hasn’t been much discussion about whether the WNBA should follow the NBA’s approach. Now, with the influx of nationally recognized talent like USC’s sophomore star guard JuJu Watkins, the debate on the issue has become more intense. Watkins, who cannot go to the WNBA until 2027 under current rules, said changes need to be made ahead of Saturday night’s game against UConn.
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“I definitely think we should have a choice. [to leave early]“, Watkins said as a guest. Good game with Sarah Spain Podcast. “I grew up in college basketball to the point where I was like, ‘Why do you want to leave?’ Because you can have that experience and build your brand here in college as well. I would definitely say we should have a choice, but college is also how we prepare for the pros. So I don’t know. “It’s a sensitive topic, but I agree.”
Watkins isn’t the only draft prospect scheduled to play Saturday in Hartford, Connecticut.
It will be a rare occasion for two of the hottest stars in women’s college basketball to face each other in the regular season when the dynamic sophomore guard leads the No. 7 Trojans in a battle with Paige Bueckers against the No. 4 UConn Huskies on Fox. no see. , reminiscent of the heyday of the UConn-Tennessee rivalry in the 1990s and 2000s.
Buekers could leave for the WNBA after this season. Probably 1st overall—But there is an option to return in 2025-26. She has power over Watkins.
They faced each other in last year’s Elite Eight matchup (which UConn won 80-73), and the two schools then quickly scheduled a home-and-home series with each other, with Saturday’s game at the Hartford XL Center opening the schedule before the start of next season. It has been decided. at USC.
“There is something unique and special about a home-and-home series because it engages not only a national television audience, but also each school’s fan base,” Trojans coach Lindsay Gottlieb said in a May statement. “UConn vs. USC on each coast over the next two seasons will challenge our players in a great environment. It’s a really great series to be a part of.”
The matchup in Hartford will give the country a glimpse into the future of the WNBA and generate knowledge about where the star duo may advance to the pros.
Bueckers is presumed to be the No. 1 overall pick in the 2025 WNBA Draft and will likely be headed to the Dallas Wings unless she chooses to return to Storrs for a sixth year. (She gained additional years due to the COVID-19 pandemic and a redshirt season after tearing her ACL in 2022.) If not for the W’s requirement that players graduate within at least three years or be 22 before the draft, Watkins herself. You might also consider these overall top picks. her influence It was in sports.
The ability to retain elite players for at least three years, and typically four, has likely helped the women’s college game build stars on campus and across the country. with more snow Now more than ever in sports, fans are willing to pay top dollar to attend games featuring the best of the best.
JuJu vs. Paige is that good.
The average resale price for a USC/UConn game is $127, the highest for a UConn women’s basketball home game, according to Victory Live, a secondary ticket market tracking company. The previous record was set in February 2023 when the Huskies hosted South Carolina. Resale prices for UConn women’s basketball at XL Center are already on the rise, averaging $57 so far this season, a $5 increase over the same period last season. But Saturday’s game is now more than double the average (223% to be exact).
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