Will Unrivaled Reach New Heights In Year 2?

Zena, Sabreena, and Ben kick off 2026 by recapping two wild weeks of conference play. From undefeated teams falling to surprise wins across the board, the crew breaks down their biggest takeaways from the action. Then they turn their attention to Year 2 of Unrivaled, exploring how the league has grown from its inaugural year. With new faces, bigger teams, and an added night of competition, they dig into who’s ready to shine, who’s poised to win , and how success is being defined in Year 2. Plus, we finish strong with our Unrivaled Award Predictions! No Offseason is a part of The Athletic Podcast Network: https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/ 00:00 Intro 01:26 Four schools remain undefeated in the NCAAW 01:51 TCU falls to Utah in overtime 02:58 Vanderbilt hands LSU its first loss of the season 07:55 Baylor hands Iowa State its first loss of the season 14:11 Napheesa Collier is out for the Unrivaled season 15:49 Phee facing 4–6 month recovery after ankle surgery 18:35 What will the Lunar Owls look like without Phee? 22:47 Inside Year 2 of Unrivaled 26:29 Where can Unrivaled get stronger? 26:28 Will on-court basketball steal the spotlight in Unrivaled this season? 30:08 What can Unrivaled do to boost fan interest? 35:58 Unrivaled sees Project B as no cause for concern for their league 37:47 As Unrivaled takes places, what’s the impact on the CBA talks? 48:25 The Unrivaled season now features a 50,000 Free Throw Challenge  49:08 Unrivaled’s MVP predictions 50:09 Unrivaled’s DPOY predictions 50:39 Unrivaled’s FT challenge predictions 52:38 Unrivaled’s 1-on-1 challenge predictions 53:47 Who will claim the crown in Unrivaled?  Related links and articles: https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/6932746/2026/01/01/napheesa-collier-ankle-injury-lynx-unrivaled/ by Ben Pickman https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/6937609/2026/01/05/unrivaled-basketball-league-players-rosters-coaches/ by Ben Pickman Follow and listen to the audio podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/no-offseason-the-athletic-womens-basketball-show/id1699815468 Get in touch! Leave a comment wherever you’re listening, or email us at NoOffseason@TheAthletic.com Show Links: -YouTube: @No-Offseason -Instagram: @tanooffseason [https://www.instagram.com/tanooffseason] -TikTok: @no_offseason [https://www.tiktok.com/@no_offseason] Credits: -Zena on BlueSky: @zenakeita -Ben on BlueSky: @benpickman -Sabreena on BlueSky: @sabreenajm -Chantel on BlueSky: @chanteljennings -Produced by Taneka Burrell -Executive Produced by Andrea B. Scott Visit the Yahoo Women's Sports Hub: https://sports.yahoo.com/womens-sports/?guccounter=1 Full Episodes Playlist: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL5UWQzuMYdm7txmok7cpMB3YlgkwrT2E0 Shorts Playlist: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL5UWQzuMYdm72uhBjsd24rsh5teZtgUpS