Is UConn’s dominance good for women’s college basketball?

Big moves in women’s basketball! Caitlin Clark joins NBC Sports for Basketball Night in America — Zena, Chantel and Sabreena break down all elite basketball IQ and competitive insight she’ll bring to the broadcast. Then, Unrivaled hits Philadelphia, making a statement for the league. Next, we take a deep dive into one program that changed women’s basketball forever — UConn. We explore decades of dominance, from the legendary era of Rebecca Lobo, Diana Taurasi, Maya Moore, Breanna Stewart, to Paige Bueckers. We break down how this sustained success has left its mark on women’s college basketball — and question whether it’s been entirely good for the sport. Plus, we wonder: could this year’s team run the table and win back-to-back championships? Then, Chantel quizzes Zena and Sabreena on quotes from Geno Auriemma, challenging them to guess which player each quote is about. Finally, we close with the must-watch games to set your screens to this weekend. No Offseason is a part of The Athletic Podcast Network: https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/ 00:00 Intro 00:33 Caitlin Clark joins NBC Sports as special contributor 07:29 Unrivaled comes to Philadelphia 10:07 Which other cities are a perfect fit for Unrivaled? 12:57 An Era of Dominance 13:57 A look at the origins of UConn’s dominance 16:54 How UConn’s rivals contribute to interest in UConn 22:24 Assessing the impact of UConn’s dominance on WCBB 26:51 Respecting the legacy UConn has built 34:35 Understanding UConn’s dominance in the women’s college game 36:59 Will a UConn repeat bring more attention to the sport? 41:13 Who will beat UConn this year? 45:10 Guess the Player 53:36 Set Your Screens Related links and articles: https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/7002228/2026/01/27/caitlin-clark-nbc-sports-nba-wnba/ by Devon Henderson and Andrew Marchand We want to hear from you! We’re asking you to fill out a quick survey about you and your podcast habits by going to theathletic.com/survey26. Three lucky entries will win $100 worth of Amazon vouchers! 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 -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