Bold opening: A new week, a new push toward turning the tide—but the twists keep coming in Chicago basketball, from Notre Dame’s rising stars to tense WNBA contract talks. Here’s a refreshed, beginner-friendly take that keeps every key detail intact while clarifying the context and stakes.
The Bulls’ February was brutal. They went winless in a month marked by a chaotic trade deadline, signaling a rough patch for the franchise. In contrast, the Chicago Sky are eyeing a clearer path forward as the WNBA and its players’ union near a March 10 deadline to finalize a new collective bargaining agreement. With the season’s start looming in May, both sides are pressed to settle important questions about salaries, benefits, and how revenue is shared.
Irish momentum
Notre Dame’s women’s basketball team has found its footing late in the season. After some rough stretches, they captured five straight wins to finish the regular season with a No. 5 seed and secure a first-round bye in the ACC Tournament. They recently defeated Syracuse and No. 10 Louisville, with guard Hannah Hidalgo delivering standout numbers: 28.5 points per game average across those two wins, along with six steals, nine rebounds, and seven assists per game. Her performance helped her earn ACC Player of the Week honors for a league-record seventh time this season, and she even broke her own single-season steals record, bringing her total to 162.
Notre Dame coach Niele Ivey praised Hidalgo’s consistency and leadership, saying Hidalgo is phenomenal and the team’s engine. She noted Hidalgo plays with heart, carries substantial responsibility, and serves as a contagious leader for the Irish.
The Irish are set to play Thursday in Duluth, Georgia, facing the winner of Stanford versus Miami.
Strike talk in the WNBA, not quite settled
As the March 10 deadline approaches, WNBA players appear more reticent about resorting to a strike. The league and the WNBPA have exchanged several counteroffers in recent weeks, intensifying as the season nears its May start. A final agreement remains essential to avoid a work stoppage.
Recent concessions from the league include improved housing provisions for players, higher salaries across experience levels, and a faster path to maximum deals for All-Rookie players. However, the big sticking point remains revenue sharing. The league’s current offer ties revenue sharing to net revenue (revenue after expenses), while players advocate for a share of gross revenue (pre-expense total). In practical terms, the league proposed 70% of net revenue to be shared, while players are pushing for 26% of gross revenue. The debate boils down to whether it’s better to take a larger slice of a smaller pie or a smaller slice of a larger one.
Despite the fiscal clash, WNBPA leadership signaled this week that reaching an agreement might be better than risking a shortened season. WNBPA vice president Kelsey Plum emphasized the desire to play and the ongoing negotiations to avoid a strike, calling it the worst outcome for both sides.
If an agreement is reached by March 10, the push to open on May 8 continues, albeit with a tight schedule. The Associated Press outlined a possible remaining sequence: an April 1–6 expansion draft, a brief window for free-agent qualifying offers, and a three-day free-agency window before signings by April 18. Even with this compressed timetable, teams could have roughly three weeks to assemble rosters before Opening Day.
This sprint is especially challenging for the Chicago Sky, who currently have only four players under contract for 2026: Angel Reese, Kamilla Cardoso, Hailey Van Lith, and Maddy Westbeld. Veteran point guard Courtney Vandersloot is expected to re-sign, and Ajša Sivka (from Europe) plus a lottery pick are anticipated to join. General Manager Jeff Pagliocca will still need to fill several roster spots within the 18-day window while aiming to boost the Sky’s status as a premier free-agent destination.
Mid-major tournament watch
With the major conferences wrapping up, the Missouri Valley Conference begins its tournament on Thursday. Belmont earned the top seed after finishing 26–5 overall and 16–4 in MVC play. Three Illinois programs—Bradley, Illinois State, and UIC—also sit among the top seeds, earning byes in the first round. Valparaiso, led by coach Roger Powell Jr., is seeded No. 7 in St. Louis and hopes for a run after a late-season surge, including a dramatic 3-pointer by Bolingbrook graduate JT Pettigrew to beat Drake.
Number of the week: 11
The Bulls entered March with a notable, albeit painful, stat: they lost every game in February, marking the franchise’s worst single month. While not the longest winless streak in team history—the 2000–01 Bulls went 16 straight without a win—this February stands out as a historic low for this iteration of the club. The contrast is stark as the Bulls opened March with a decisive 120–97 victory over the Milwaukee Bucks, signaling a potential shift in momentum.
Week ahead: Bulls
- Tuesday: vs. Oklahoma City Thunder, 7 p.m. CT on CHSN
- Thursday: @ Phoenix Suns, 8 p.m. CT on CHSN
- Sunday: @ Sacramento Kings, 8 p.m. CT on CHSN+
Week ahead: Notable college games
- Tuesday: Oregon men at No. 11 Illinois, 8 p.m. CT, NBCSN and Peacock
- Wednesday: Illinois women vs. Wisconsin in the Big Ten Tournament, 5 p.m. CT, Big Ten Network
- Wednesday: Villanova men at DePaul, 7 p.m. CT, Peacock
- Wednesday: No. 15 Purdue men at Northwestern, 7:30 p.m. CT, BTN
- Thursday: Notre Dame women vs. Stanford/Miami in ACC Tournament, 12:30 p.m. CT, ACC Network
- Sunday: No. 11 Illinois men at Maryland, 2 p.m. CT, Fox
Senior night mentions
Illinois and Northwestern will honor two standout players. Illinois will recognize Champaign native Kylan Boswell, a leader and defender for the Illini over the past two seasons. Northwestern will honor Nick Martinelli, the Big Ten scoring leader, when they host Purdue.
Outlook for the NCAA bubble
Notre Dame and Illinois women head into conference tournaments with hopes of bolstering their NCAA resumes, while the overall landscape remains fluid as teams jockey for seeding and potential upsets.
What we’re reading today
- Column: Chicago Bulls say good riddance to February, while sports fans welcome the madness of March
- Big Ten Tournament: Illinois women seeded 10th, opening against Wisconsin
- Morez Johnson Jr. helps Michigan clinch the Big Ten title with a win over Illinois
- Anfernee Simons’ wrist fracture adds to Bulls’ concerns after a trade-deadline move
- Coby White returns to Chicago with the Charlotte Hornets, not dwelling on what might have been
Quote of the week
'That physicality, that nastiness, that grit, that fight, that’s on me. That’s not on them. That’s on me. I’ve got to do a much better job getting us nastier in those situations. We scrimmaged Florida, and we had way more fight against them than we did tonight. That’s because we’ve gotten a little bit, maybe, content. That’s on me.' — Illinois coach Brad Underwood, reflecting on a tougher-than-expected loss to No. 3 Michigan and what his team must change ahead of the NCAA Tournament.
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