Hi Hoops Fans!

This is our second WBB Roundup for the week, where we recap the Unrivaled 1-on-1 Tournament, Athletes Unlimited, and NCAA updates.

Aaliyah Edwards turned heads by not only beating, but shutting out Breanna Stewart in the Unrivaled 1-on-1 Tournament.

Alissa Pili and Kia Nurse are about standout players in Athletes Unlimited, plus will anyone beat the UCLA Bruins this season? Juju Watkins and USC will certainly try tonight!

In light of Serena’s cameo during Kendrick Lamar’s halftime performance, here is more on how her appearance and crip walk came to be. But did you know the crip walk has ties to Harlem (yes, that’s New York, baby!) dancer Henry ‘Crip’ Heard?

Heard, who lost an arm and leg in a car accident, was a performer and advocate for people with disabilities.

If you want to learn more about U.S. history, consider joining our Slack channel. We believe in diversity, equity, and inclusion as a way of life; no change of administration or political climate will change that!

With love,

Erica L. Ayala, Head Black Rosie in Charge (HBIC)

The Unrivaled 1-on-1 Tournament kicked off this week, and the winner will be crowned on Friday. Aaliyah Edwards, who upset Mist BC teammate Breanna Stewart, made it to the semifinals. She will take on Arike Ogumbowale (Vinyl BC) in the semis.

Rae Burrell wowed the basketball world with her win over Olympian Jewell Loyd, but fell to Azurá Stevens in the second round.

After the first two rounds, four players remain. Napheesa Collier (Lunar Owls BC) will square off against Azure Stevens (Rose BC) on the other side of the bracket.

The Lunar Owls BC remains undefeated (8-0) in league play, and Laces BC (4-2) is the only other team with a winning record. Despite early success, the Laces have been injured and forfeited Saturday’s game against Vinyl BC.

Injuries forced the following players out of the tournament:

Unrivaled will continue team play on Tuesday, February 18.

At Black Rosie Media, we love to give flowers to other writers and creators in women’s basketball.

Here’s what we’re reading:

Another season of Athletes Unlimited is underway!

Sadly, we received news Seattle Storm guard/forward Jordan Horston suffered an ACL injury during the first game of this year’s Athletes Unlimited season. Tempestade Talk co-host Roberta F. Rodrigues broke the news.

As we wait for further updates on her status, check out Roberta and Erica’s discussion about Horston in the most recent episode of Tempestade Talk. Hoping for the best for Horston.

Here’s the leaderboard after the first week of play as of the February 12 games:

On the latest edition of Tempestade Talk, we did a deep dive into Sami Whitcomb. Now that Whitcomb has left the Storm and will join the Phoenix Mercury, hosts Erica L. AYala and Roberta F. Rodrigues reflect on Whitcomb’s latest tenure in Seattle.

In happier Storm news, Roberta Rodrigues of Beta Basket was the first to report that Gabby Williams re-signed with the Storm.

The contract will be for one year. Also signing with the Storm is Alysha Clark. After two seasons with the Las Vegas Aces, AC is back in the Emerald City.

AC and Gabby will team up to lead an excellent Seattle defense. It’s been a hectic off-season for the Storm, but having familiar faces like Williams and Clark should provide some comfort for Seattle fans in 2025.

On Monday, join the Gotta Get Up crew for a deep dive into Jaylyn Sherrod’s whirlwind rookie season, culminating in a 2024 WNBA Champion. Sherrod is spending her offseason at Athletes Unlimited.

Could her offseason development land her a more significant role with the champions in 2025? Join us LIVE to discuss Sherrod, free agency, and the latest Liberty Unlocked: Championship Parade Edition.

The Bruins are playing for bragging rights tonight as they face USC for the Battle of Southern California! It might be a down year for Juju Watkins stats-wise, but don’t sleep on the Trojans!

Player of the Year candidate Lauren Betts and the top-ranked UCLA Bruins will undoubtedly be ready to show why they’re undefeated in hostile territory.

Watch the epic battle TONIGHT at 7:00 PM PT on Peacock.

When: Thursday, February 13 at 7:00 p.m. PT/10:00 p.m. ET
Where: Galen Center -- Los Angeles
TV: Peacock
Streaming: Fubo (follow for free)
Follow: CBS Sports app

Tonight, South Carolina looks to bounce back from a loss to Texas, which saw the Gamecocks fall two spots in this week’s AP Poll.

Meanwhile, the Longhorns will face Kentucky, hoping to prove their dominant performance in the paint against South Carolina wasn’t a fluke.

1 UCLA

2 Notre Dame (↑1)

3 Texas (↑1)

4 South Carolina (↓2)

5 LSU (↑1)

6 Southern California (↑1)

7 UConn (↓2)

8 Kentucky (↑3)

9 Ohio State (↓1)

10 North Carolina State (↑4)

11 TCU (↓2)

12 North Carolina (↑1)

13 Duke (↓3)

14 Kansas State (↓2)

15 Tennessee (↑4)

16 Oklahoma (↓1)

17 Maryland (↓1)

18 West Virginia

19 Georgia Tech(↓2)

20 Oklahoma State (↑5)

21 Alabama (↑2)

22 Michigan State (↓2)

23 Florida State (↓1)

24 Creighton

25 Baylor

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