women's basketball

The Seattle Storm may look a little different next season. Free agency and an expansion draft could change the make-up of the team, a bit.

It usually takes months of work to put together a charter schedule for a professional league, but the WNBA completed it in a few weeks.

The Aces are favored to win a third straight title this season, with A'ja Wilson as preseason player of the year and Caitlin Clark as preseason rookie of the year.

For more than 20 seasons, Sue Bird was the face of the Seattle Storm. But Seattle has now entered a different phase of the franchise after Bird retired and Breanna Stewart signed with the New York Liberty in free agency. It’s a rebuild for Seattle that is centered around Jewell Loyd, now in her ninth season.

For more than two hours, Sue Bird was back commanding the middle of the court. At times funny, at times emotional, Bird’s 21-year career received a ceremony that matched the longevity of her basketball exploits when the Seattle Storm retired the No. 10 she wore during her WNBA career.

March Madness may be the last time for fans to see many of the talented college women players compete. There are only potentially 144 WNBA roster spots available and most of those are filled with returning players. There has been talk of expansion over the last few years, but nothing has come to fruition yet.

The NCAA has gotten mostly positive reviews for its new women's Sweet 16 format during March Madness. There were record-setting attendance at the two sites — Greenville, South Carolina and Seattle — along with record numbers for TV ratings.

The Washington State Cougars have adopted Shania Twain's “Man, I Feel Like A Woman” song as their official anthem on the way to March Madness. The Cougars are seeded fifth in the NCAA Tournament and play 12th-seeded Florida Gulf Coast on Saturday.

Washington State earned a trip to the NCAA Tournament by beating No. 19 UCLA 65-61 in the Pac-12 Championship. It was the first-ever tournament championship for the Washington State women.

A new bill signed by the City of Seattle will allow the Seattle Storm to build their own practice facility. The four-time WNBA champions currently practice at Seattle Pacific University.