LA Fires and Women's Basketball

What To Know About Women’s Basketball Today

1. Los Angeles Fires Impact Women’s Basketball ❤️‍🩹

The devastating impact of the Los Angeles fires has spread far and wide, including the women’s basketball community. UCLA postponed its January 12th game against Northwestern and relocated tonight’s game against Penn State to Long Beach. USC also postponed its game against Northwestern, originally scheduled for tonight.

Loyola Marymount University and Pepperdine, both members of the WCC, have postponed several games in response to the fires. Meanwhile, many athletes are stepping up to help those in need. The LA Sparks announced a fundraising partnership with Fanatics, joining a collective effort to raise $8 million to support victims and firefighters. (LA Sparks / Fanatics Announcement)

WHY IT MATTERS: Coaches and players are navigating challenging conditions, from rescheduling games and maintaining focus on basketball goals to dealing with the emotional toll of loss and uncertainty brought on by the fires.

2. The 1K Club is Growing Quickly 🪣

Audi Crooks became the latest player to join the 1,000-point club in college basketball, reaching the milestone this past Sunday. Remarkably, she achieved this as a sophomore in just 49 games at Iowa State, making her the fastest player in ISU program history to hit 1,000 points. She’s also one of several standout young players to accomplish this feat this season.

WHY IT MATTERS: Reaching 1,000 career points used to be a milestone most players achieved during their senior year—aside from a few exceptional cases. Now, more high-scoring players are joining the 1K club earlier in their collegiate careers.

• Notre Dame’s Hannah Hidalgo reached 1,000 points earlier this year as a sophomore in 44 games.

• UCLA’s Kiki Rice hit the milestone last month as a junior.

• USC’s JuJu Watkins leads the pack, achieving 1,000 points as a sophomore in just 38 games earlier this season.

The rise in 3-point shooting and longer seasons are surely contributing factors, but at the end of the day, these players can flat-out play. (ESPN)

3. The Cal Bears Are Coming Out of Hibernation 🐻

The Cal women’s basketball team made a major leap in this week’s AP Top 25 rankings, climbing six spots to land at No. 18. Their season highlights include big wins over significant opponents, such as No. 19 Alabama, No. 21 NC State, and then-ranked Stanford. (AP News)

WHY IT MATTERS: Just four years ago, the Bears endured one of their worst seasons in recent history, finishing the shortened 2020-2021 season with a 1-16 record. Under Head Coach Charmin Smith, the program has steadily improved and is now turning heads.

Cal began this season unranked and largely overlooked by basketball pundits and fans, but they’re proving to be a team worth watching. As the saying goes, don’t poke the bear.