Unrivaled crowns a champ | Champions League kicks off | ESPN's 'Full Court Press' returns

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Rose BC wins Unrivaled

Unrivaled 3×3 Basketball crowned its first-ever champions on Monday, after Rose BC took down Vinyl BC behind Chelsea Gray’s 18 points, eight assists, and three rebounds.

• Gray’s dominance managed to outweigh losing Kahleah Copper and Defensive Player of the Year Angel Reese to injury, with the eventual Unrivaled Playoff MVP averaging 28.5 points, six assists, and three rebounds throughout the postseason.

Big picture: Studded with young talent, Rose rode their underdog status all the way to the championship.

• “From day one they counted us out,” said Rose head coach Nola Henry after the game. “Kah went down, they counted us out. Azurá was out and they counted us out. Angel down, they counted us out. What they gonna say now?”

Looking back: After the confetti fell on the 3×3 court, players and coaches alike agreed that Unrivaled was a great success — regardless of which team hoisted the trophy.

• “A lot of fans came out and there’s a lot of energy behind it, but people are already excited about it for next season,” Gray said of the offseason upstart. “When you win, you have a different appreciation or joy about it, but it was a great first season.”

Bottom line: While Rose BC’s roster will likely carry that winning spirit — plus the $50,000-per-player bonus — into the WNBA’s May 16th tip-off, Unrivaled’s impact will be felt far beyond its debut postseason.

Champions League takes the pitch

UEFA Champions League returns today, as the elite European club competition’s quarterfinal round raises the stakes for tournament underdogs.

• The quarters kick off today as Real Madrid takes on Arsenal in Spain at 1:45 PM ET, followed by Bayern Munich hosting 2023/24 runners-up Lyon at 4 PM ET.

• Coming off a near perfect group-stage performance, back-to-back reigning champs Barcelona then pay a visit to 2022/23 runners-up Wolfsburg on Wednesday at 1:45 PM ET, with Manchester City closing out the first leg against UK frontrunner Chelsea at home at 4 PM ET.

Big picture: After a tightly contended group stage, the UWCL’s knockout rounds represent an intensity shift as teams zero in on the tournament’s May 24th final.

• “In the group stage, you know that you have time to fix things,” Bayern Munich defender Magdalena Eriksson told reporters ahead of today’s match. “Now it’s crunch time. It’s really important to get that first good result.”

• “It’s extremely important — it’s a home game,” Wolfsburg captain Alexandra Popp echoed. “We will play in front of our home fans, and we want to get a good or even a very good result, because we are aware of what’s going to [await] us in Barcelona.”

Friendly fire: English sides Chelsea and Man City are currently in the midst of a scheduling gauntlet, with tomorrow’s Champions League matchup marking the pair’s second meeting in a two-week stretch of four consecutive face-offs.

• “We knew it would be hard games,” said City newcomer Kerolin after losing to Chelsea 2-1 in Saturday’s League Cup. “We’re working this week to do different things and [find a] different way to hurt Chelsea... And now we’re home, so [it] will be special."

Tune in: The first leg of the UWCL quarterfinals starts today at 1:45 PM ET, with all matches streamed live on DAZN.

‘Full Court Press’ drops Season 2 trailer

Full Court Press is back by popular demand, ESPN announced on Monday, with the women’s college basketball docuseries officially returning for season two — and shifting the focus to a new crop of young stars as they weather the 2024/25 season.

• Debuting this May, the all-new four-episode season follows USC standout Kiki Iriafen, LSU champion Flau’jae Johnson, and Notre Dame sharpshooter Hannah Hidalgo along the path to this year’s NCAA tournament.

• The first season of Full Court Press dropped in May 2024, featuring Iowa’s Caitlin Clark, South Carolina’s Kamilla Cardoso, and UCLA’s Kiki Rice through a watershed season for women’s basketball.

Big picture: The production takes viewers into players’ lives via one-on-one interviews, looks into their family life, and exclusive behind-the-scenes team access.

• “There is no better time to be a fan of women’s college basketball than right now,” said NFL legend Peyton Manning, whose Omaha Productions backs the series. “We’re thrilled to share the stories of these three talented women as they continue to push the game to new heights.”

Back on the court: Iriafen, Johnson, and Hidalgo will also be stealing the spotlight in this week’s NCAA tournament, as all three represent top-seeded teams with a legitimate shot at taking the 2024/25 title.

• “Hannah, Flau’jae, and Kiki are more than great players — they’re great characters,” said Lindsay Rovegno, VP of production for ESPN Originals. “Season two captures the drive and resilience that make them special.”

Don’t miss it: The first two episodes of Full Court Press: Season 2 premiere on May 2nd on ESPN, with the final two airing May 11th on ESPN2.

Ahead of the 2025 NCAA tournament, UConn superstar Paige Bueckers is the latest top women’s sports athlete to join Nike’s blockbuster “So Win” ad campaign, with her featured commercial hitting the airwaves this week.

Nike’s “So Win” campaign puts the spotlight on fearless athletes who defy expectations, rewrite the rules, and inspire the world through unapologetic greatness.

Join Bueckers in championing the power of audacious dreams and relentless pursuit this March Madness and beyond on Nike.com.

PWHL surpasses 1 million fans

The PWHL is racking up milestones, with the second-year league officially passing the one-million-fan mark after a record 14,288 turned up to Detroit's Little Caesars Arena for Sunday's Takeover Tour game.

• The special out-of-market matchup between the Minnesota Frost and New York Sirens also set a new US attendance record for pro women's ice hockey, with Motor City expansion possibly on the horizon after last season’s Detroit game drew 13,736.

• “It’s another extremely, big win for the sport globally,” Frost forward Kendall Coyne Schofield told reporters after Sunday’s 4-1 loss to the Sirens.

Big picture: As it eyes expansion, the six-team league’s numbers have remained strong, averaging over 7,000 fans per game this season up from around 5,500 in 2024.

New York snags another star

The New York Liberty gained another star on Sunday, with the 2024 league champs picking up point guard Natasha Cloud from the Connecticut Sun in exchange for the the 2025 WNBA Draft’s No. 7 overall pick and a 2026 first-rounder.

• This is the second time Cloud has swapped teams in as many months, after the Mercury sent the 33-year-old to the Sun in a blockbuster deal that saw Alyssa Thomas join Phoenix, among other transactions.

• Cloud had been open about her eagerness to land somewhere other than Connecticut, reportedly hunting alternatives ahead of what’s expected to be a multi-year rebuild for the Sun.

Bottom line: While New York will be happy to add Cloud to the mix, the move also has implications for Connecticut guard Marina Mabrey, after the Sun publicly denied her trade request last month.

• Could this mark the end of Connecticut’s preseason roster shakeups, or the beginning of a new phase?

Quote of the day

Legendary UConn coach Geno Auriemma
on No. 2 Connecticut’s potential Elite Eight rematch with No. 1 USC.