Again and again, protect women

The GIST: No. 11 TCU women’s basketball star Sedona Prince faces allegations of sexual and physical abuse from at least four former partners, The Washington Post reported Wednesday. The allegations date from 2019, when Prince was a redshirt freshman at Oregon, through last month. Horrifying.

The background: The 6-foot-7 center first rose to fame in 2021 for her viral TikTok calling out the massive disparities between the women’s and men’s accommodations during their respective March Madness tournaments. That video sparked the movement for equity that continues to fuel the sport’s explosion into the mainstream.

• Since then, Prince has become one of the faces of collegiate women’s hoops and a fierce advocate for the game — making these accusations all the more shocking.

The allegations: The accusers reported that Prince, who denies all allegations, threatened legal action and employed non-disclosure agreements to keep them from taking their stories public.

• Meanwhile, the university has been aware of at least some of the claims since last year but has allowed Prince to remain on the court, celebrating her nomination to watchlists for several awards as recently as this week.

• It’s unclear whether Prince will suit up for the Horned Frogs’ Sunday game against Arizona, but one thing is clear as day — again and again, protect women.

The GIST: In more distressing off-court news, on Wednesday, the newly-gutted Department of Education (DoE) rolled back the Biden administration’s guidelines stating that Title IX regulations apply to name, image, and likeness (NIL) deals between universities and athletes.

• So what does that really mean? Women athletes stand to gain far less from the upcoming changes stemming from the House v. NCAA settlement.

The background: Title IX requires college athletic departments to equitably allocate resources to male and female athletes — for instance, if a student body is 50% women, then 50% of scholarship dollars must go to women athletes. Although the law is far from perfect (see: enforcement issues and a convoluted scholarship system), it created opportunities for thousands of women to compete.

• As for the aforementioned House settlement, universities will soon be able to share up to $20M of revenue directly with athletes via NIL deals. But it doesn’t say whether that revenue must be divided equitably between men and women — that’s open to the DoE’s interpretation.

The latest: The Trump administration’s DoE said that Title IX does not bind NIL agreements between athletic departments and athletes, so schools can funnel more NIL money to the players that bring in the most revenue (football and men’s basketball players). That means women athletes could largely be left out of the windfall that many consider restitution for years of unfair labor practices.

• Universities still have the final say in how they’ll distribute revenue once the House payments begin this summer. This latest news simply means they won’t be required by law to give a dime of NIL money to women athletes — unless Title IX attorneys have their way.

The GIST: Several top-25 women’s hoops teams suffered upsets last night, while others squeaked by with last-minute saves. In other words, it was women’s hoops at its finest.

❤️ No. 6 USC hands No. 1 UCLA first loss: The Battle for LA was a truly star-studded affair, but it was Juju Watkins who really shone, leading the Trojans with a historic 38 point, 11 rebound, eight block, and five assist performance as they pulled off a gutsy 71–60 win and snapped the Bruins’ program record 23-game win streak. Earning all the flowers.

🤘 No. 3 Texas crushes No. 8 Kentucky: The Longhorns are absolutely rolling, taking their momentum from Sunday’s win over No. 4 South Carolina straight to Kentucky’s home court. Both teams had a brutal shooting night, but the ’Horns made up for it by killing Kentucky on the boards in the resounding 67–49 dub. Building a win, brick by brick.

• But in the cutthroat SEC, the challenges just keep coming: Texas will face their third straight top-10 opponent in No. 5 LSU Sunday at 3 p.m. ET on ABC. Gotta beat the best to be the best, right?

😲 No. 9 Ohio State escapes Minnesota in overtime: Bruised from last week’s nightmarish road trip to the Big Ten’s LA schools, the Buckeyes came this close to dropping their third straight game last night. Forward Cotie McMahon put OSU on her back with 25 points, grinding out the last-minute 87–84 win to stop the skid. Whew.

Every night, it’s the same dilemma — staring at the fridge, hoping inspiration strikes. Enter Plan to Eat, your secret weapon for stress-free meal planning. With just a few minutes of prep, you’ll know exactly what’s for dinner before the chaos hits.

• No more last-minute takeout, no more fridge standoffs — just easy, delicious meals with the people you love.

🔥 Try Plan to Eat free for 14 days and say goodbye to dinner indecision for good.

🥎 Softball: Clearwater Invitational — Today through Sunday at various times — ESPN+ and other networks

• Clearwater is arguably softball’s most prestigious regular-season tournament, and this year’s lineup does not disappoint, with seven top-25 teams in action.

🤸 Women’s gymnastics: No. 1 Oklahoma Sooners (10-0) vs. No. 2 LSU Tigers (6-2) — Tonight at 9 p.m. ET — ESPN2

• The Sooners topped the Tigers by a razor-thin margin on January 11th, adding an extra layer of spice to this flippin’ fantastic showdown featuring Jordan Bowers of Oklahoma and LSU’s Haleigh Bryant, the reigning national all-around champ. We are so there.

🥍 Women’s lacrosse: No. 1 Boston College Eagles (2-0) vs. No. 2 Northwestern Wildcats (2-0) — Tomorrow at 1 p.m. ET — B1G+

• A rematch of the 2023 and 2024 national title games, this is fast becoming the sport’s fiercest rivalry. Come for a potential preview of this year’s natty, stay for a look at Northwestern in the post-Izzy Scane era.

🏀 Men’s basketball: No. 1 Auburn Tigers (22-2) vs. No. 2 Alabama Crimson Tide (21-3) — Tomorrow at 4 p.m. ET — ESPN

• Yes, you read that right, there’s a third top-two clash going down this weekend as an historic football rivalry is renewed on the hardwood. Plus, the top spot in the nation’s toughest conference, the SEC, hangs in the balance. It truly doesn’t get better than this.

⏱️ As a sports fan, you know 15 minutes can change your life. Know what else you can do in 15 minutes? The first class in Reverse Health’s 28-Day Yoga Challenge.

• Yoga is the most effective exercise for women over 40, reducing joint pain, improving circulation, and supporting mental well-being. Invest in yourself by joining Reverse Health’s at-home fitness program today for 60% off. Grab your yoga mat and get flexy.