February 3, 2025
Locked On Women’s Basketball: Women’s college basketball Monday musings
By Tee Baker
What stood out from this past week around the country?
The countdown is on — just a few more weeks to go, in the shortest month of the year, before we hit conference tournaments in the college basketball world and then it’s the best time of the year — Selection Sunday and the 2025 NCAA Tournament. What stood out from this past week around the country? Who’s bouncing the polls? And if you haven’t been paying attention to the Big 12 you need to be. On Monday’s episode of Locked On Women’s Basketball, host Missy Heidrick covers it all.
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First, Missy discusses the two historic jersey retirements that took place on Sunday — South Carolina alum A’ja Wilson and Iowa alum Caitlin Clark. Both events underscored the growth of the sport, honoring players who have set new standards in their respective programs and beyond. As Missy explains, “Caitlin Clark celebrated in every way possible yesterday in Iowa City with family, friends, former teammates,” highlighting the significance of her legacy.
Later, Missy discusses Monday’s AP Poll, which saw a lot of movement. She emphasizes in particular the prominence of the Big 12 in the poll. The conference continues to showcase its depth, with four teams ranked in the top 25, including TCU at No. 9 and Kansas State at 12. Kansas State was initially picked to win the conference and, despite challenges, they remain strong contenders with a 9-1 record. A key game this week is the showdown between TCU and Kansas State on Wednesday, which will be pivotal in determining the leader of the conference.
Looking ahead, two major matchups will dominate discussions: UConn versus Tennessee (No. 5 vs. No. 19) on Thursday and the highly-anticipated game between South Carolina and Texas (No. 2 vs. No. 4) on Sunday.
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Here at The Next, in addition to the 24/7/365 written content our staff provides, we also host the daily Locked On Women’s Basketball podcast. Join us Monday through Saturday each week as we discuss all things WNBA, collegiate basketball, basketball history and much more. Listen wherever you find podcasts or watch on YouTube.
Written by Tee Baker
Tee has been a contributor to The Next since March Madness 2021 and is currently a contributing editor, BIG EAST beat reporter and curator of historical deep dives.
