Several of the best teams in women's college basketball are heading to Phoenix for the inaugural Scripps Sports Women's Basketball Showcase on Wednesday, Dec. 16, at Mortgage Matchup Center.
The showcase will feature two marquee matchups, with defending national champion UCLA facing Duke and USC taking on Miami.
The Bruins will look different from their national championship team as all five starters graduated. UCLA is still an expected preseason Top 15 program and added Iowa State transfer forward Addy Brown. Brown averaged 11.9 points, 8.8 rebounds and 5.3 assists in her junior season. Returning forward Sienna Betts averaged 6 points and 4 rebounds in 14.1 minutes per game in her freshman season.
The Blue Devils look like one of the strongest teams, with three of their five starters from last year's ACC Championship squad returning. Duke also added transfer Aaliyah Crump from Texas, who averaged 7.9 points and 41.1% shooting in her freshman season. Crump was the No. 5 recruit in the 2025 class, while returning guard Emilee Skinner was the No. 4 recruit in that same class.
UCLA and Duke will tip off at 5 p.m. to start the showcase, followed by USC and Miami at 7:30 p.m.
USC made the NCAA Tournament in 2026, but did so without its top player, JuJu Watkins. Watkins, the 2024-25 consensus National Player of the Year, missed the entire season with an ACL injury. She's expected to return alongside Saniyah Hall, the No. 1 recruit in 2026, and Jazzy Davidson, the No. 1 recruit in 2025.
Miami comes in after winning 18 games and adding some international talent, including French center Jess-Mine Zodia.
Both games will be shown on ION.
“We are thrilled and proud to partner with Position Sports to create the Scripps Sports Women's Basketball Showcase," President of Scripps Sports Brian Lawlor said in a release. “UCLA, Duke, USC, and Miami represent some of the finest programs in women’s college basketball, and we're honored to provide a national television platform for these incredible student-athletes in what promises to be two captivating and inspiring basketball contests.”
Tickets to the doubleheader were set to go on sale Thursday, Aug. 20, at 10 a.m. MST (1:00 PM ET) at ticketmaster.com. One ticket provides admission to both games.
Reach the reporter or send tips for stories at jenna.ortiz@arizonarepublic.com, as well as @jennarortiz on X.
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This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Top talent coming to Phoenix for Women's Basketball Showcase