The Bird to our Rapinoe

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: Ready the crown because one Unrivaled athlete is about to be $200K richer, with the semis and final of the exhilarating 1-on-1 tournament tipping off tonight at 7:30 p.m. ET. Let’s bounce to it.

How it works: The 1-on-1 competition is a single-elimination tourney, where games are played until one player scores 11 points or the clock hits 10 minutes — whichever comes first. This format will continue in tonight’s semis, but things will change in the final.

• The semis winners will compete in a best-of-three championship series, where the victor in each game is the first to reach 11 points.

• The four semifinalists have already guaranteed themselves a $25K payday at minimum but the stakes are even higher from here — the champion will also bag $10K for each of her Unrivaled teammates. The ultimate Galentine’s Day present.

The Mist’s Aaliyah Edwards hopes to upset Vinyl top-seed Arike Ogunbowale: Edwards has already taken down one No. 1 seed, shutting out Unrivaled co-founder Breanna Stewart in Monday’s opening round. However, topping Ogunbowale, who’s widely regarded as the best 1-on-1 player in women’s hoops, will be a much greater challenge. Can the youngin’ pull it off?

Lunar Owls’ Napheesa Collier takes on the Rose’s Azurá Stevens: This one features two former UConn teammates battling it out, but don’t expect either athlete to take it easy — Collier knocked out her Minnesota Lynx colleague Courtney Williams in the quarters, while Stevens decimated her LA Sparks pal Rae Burrell. No room for friendship with cash on the line.

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🎓🏀 NCAA men’s basketball: No. 1 Auburn vs. No. 2 Alabama — Tomorrow at 4 p.m. ET — ESPN

• The top two collegiate men’s basketball teams are facing off in the regular season for the first time since 2021, creating a Final Four–esque energy that’s usually reserved for March.

• Keep an eye on Alabama senior Mark Sears and Auburn senior Johni Broome, both of whom are Wooden Award candidates and among the nation’s top scorers.

🎓🏀 NCAA women’s basketball: No. 7 UConn vs. No. 4 South Carolina — Sunday at 1 p.m. ET — ABC

• If you thought last night’s West Coast women’s hoops battle was spicy, brace yourself. Dynamic UConn duo Paige Bueckers and Azzi Fudd are finding their rhythm, while defending champ South Carolina is eager to right the ship after Sunday’s loss to No. 3 Texas.

🏒 PWHL: Toronto Sceptres vs. Ottawa Charge — Sunday at 4 p.m. ET — YouTube

• Beep beep — it’s time for the fifth stop on the nine-city PHWL Takeover Tour, with the Sceptres and Charge facing off in Edmonton, Alberta.

• While Ottawa sits at the bottom of the standings, Toronto enters with a pep in their step, err, skate, thanks to the return of reigning league MVP Natalie Spooner from a long-term injury.

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