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February 12, 2026 Should Lynx Fans Be Worried About Their Team? Steve Pimental Lost in the flurry of 14 trades involving 27 teams ahead of last week’s NBA trade deadline was the Minnesota Timberwolves, led by new owners Marc Lore and Alex Rodriguez, swapping 2026 first-round picks with the Detroit Pistons to get off of Mike Conley’s $10,375,000 contract. It was a surprising move for a team that had made the Western Conference Finals in each of the last two seasons and had a reasonably good shot at doing it again. The Timberwolves could have used Conley’s contract and the pick swap or other assets to add another player who could have helped them. Instead, they hurt their ability to compete, if not this season, then in the future, in order to save some money. In some ways, this is business as usual in Minnesota. Prior to this iteration of the team, the Timberwolves failed to make the playoffs in 13 straight seasons from 2005 to 2017. Previous owner Glen Taylor succeeded in keeping the Timberwolves in Minnesota, but the team rarely succeeded on the court. For whatever reason, Taylor’s other basketball team, the Minnesota Lynx, were far more successful. They are tied with the Houston Comets for the most championships in WNBA history. Their dynasty was arguably cut short by Maya Moore’s early retirement, but the team rebuilt around Napheesa Collier, losing in the WNBA Finals in 2024 and having the best record in the regular season in 2025. So why should Lynx fans worry that their frugal ownership group will hinder their success when that largely hasn’t happened over the last 15 years? Because the league is changing. The expansion teams and the well-run organizations are all pouring money into facilities, front office staff, coaching, and player development. Even the Chicago Sky will have a shiny new practice facility, though it may not be ready for the start of the season. The bar to be competitive is being raised every year. If the Lynx are trying to save money while the rest of the league is investing in its players, they could be left behind. The other big change that could hurt the Lynx is the new CBA. We don’t know any of the terms, except that player salaries will increase quite a bit. The league’s latest proposal included a 230% increase in the salary cap, and there is a good chance it will be even higher than that. What appetite will the Lynx have for paying increased salaries? We also don’t know if there will be a salary floor, and what the difference will be between the floor and the cap. In the past, salaries were so low that most teams spent roughly the same amount on player salaries. If that’s not the case in the new CBA, the Lynx could suffer. The Lynx have been one of the best teams in the WNBA the last two seasons, and they would certainly be a favorite in 2026 if they can bring their team back, along with the second overall pick in the 2026 WNBA draft. They might have a hard time doing that regardless of the rules and the owners’ willingness to spend. The Lynx’s top seven players in minutes played are all unrestricted free agents, as is midseason addition DiJonai Carrington. Even if the Players Association is unsuccessful in eliminating the core designation, it is hard to see the Lynx bringing everyone back. That is especially true if they have less money to spend than other teams. Of course, this could all be moot. The Lynx have already proven they can thrive even while their NBA counterpart flounders. And saving money may just not be as important when it comes to the WNBA. Mike Conley’s salary for this season was more than double the WNBA’s proposed salary cap for an entire team. When you add in how much the Timberwolves saved on the luxury tax by offloading Conley’s salary, any savings they would get by failing to spend up to the new WNBA salary cap would be marginal at best. Even more important than that, Cheryl Reeve’s contract runs through the 2027 season. If she wants to continue coaching, the Lynx would do well to sign her to another extension, but I would argue her current contract more or less guarantees the team will be competitive for the next two seasons. Beyond that, only time will tell. Ownership that is willing to spend is arguably the biggest competitive advantage in professional sports, though that has been less the case in the WNBA than in other leagues. If that is changing, the landscape of the league could change with it. As a Chicago Sky fan, that makes me nervous. If I were a Minnesota Lynx fan, I would be worried. However, there is still plenty of time for me to be proven wrong. SEE MORE ARTICLES & VIDEOS About the Author Steve Pimental would rather write 20,000 words about Stef Dolson than write two sentences about himself. He lives near Chicago with his beagle/shepherd mix, Hootie.

Though I have enjoyed watching LOVB on USA Network, and I finally renewed ESPN+, so I can watch even more games, I was eager to experience the game live. Here is what I learned. February 10, 2026 What I Learned at My First LOVB Match Steve Pimental On Saturday, I talked my friends Marty and Jenna into driving north from Illinois to catch our first LOVB match. Marty was the first person to alert me to the start of LOVB’s second season, and while we now mostly watch volleyball during the summer Olympics, all three of us were huge fans of the Illinois State volleyball team during our time as students there. Though I have enjoyed watching LOVB on USA Network, and I finally renewed ESPN+, so I can watch even more games, I was eager to experience the game live. Here is what I learned. LOVB’s Merch is second-to-none I have always been a sucker for women’s sports merch, which is why it may have been cheating to include buying more merch among my New Year’s resolutions . I have been impressed with LOVB’s hoodies, hats, and scarves since my first time visiting their online shop. The only thing that had kept me from racking up a big credit card bill was that I wanted to see what the in-arena merch situation was before I went crazy. I also hadn’t decided if I wanted league merch or something that was specific to Madison, which is my default home team until the league expands to Chicago. I wound up going with a LOVB Madison Color Drenched hoodie (more on that later), but there were a lot of options I liked that were reasonably priced. I thought the Adidas Track Jacket looked even better in person, and I am regretting that I didn’t get a LOVB Madison scarf to go with my hoodie. The workers at the merch table were extremely nice, and when I mentioned that I was disappointed they didn’t have the hoodie I wanted in my size, one of them went in the back to grab one for me and to restock the shelves. If I go to another game this season, I will definitely come home with more merch LOVB Has the Best Team Colors I have to give Jenna credit for this observation. It started with her asking me if any WNBA teams have pink in their team colors. After I ran through the teams in my head and realized that none of them do, she pointed out how good the LOVB Atlanta jerseys looked, and that Madison had very nice colors as well. And she was absolutely correct. There are some WNBA teams with interesting color schemes. If I wasn’t a Chicago Sky fan already, I would be drawn to their blue and yellow. The Golden State Valkyries have the perfect shade of purple, and I love the Liberty’s seafoam. I also like Angel City’s use of pink, which is a bit more subtle than LOVB Atlanta. That being said, I think all six LOVB teams have great color schemes and have done a great job incorporating them into their jerseys and other merch. It looks like we are getting orange, purple, and red respectively when LOVB Los Angeles, Minnesota and San Francisco join the league next season, and I look forward to seeing what that looks like as well. The In-Arena Experience is Great I can obviously only speak for Madison, though if LFG wants to pay to send me to Atlanta, Austin, Houston, Salt Lake City, and Nebraska, I will gladly report back what I find. Veterans Memorial Coliseum in Madison has been around as long as the Super Bowl, and in some respects, it looks its age. I would love for LOVB Madison to move to an arena with cupholders, and seats that look like they are younger than I am. That being said, I loved everything else about my experience there. When we walked to the box office, there was a small sign with five different ticket prices. A worker asked us which price we wanted to pay, we settled on $47, and he said “that will be $141.” It wasn’t $47 plus fees and taxes and convenience and all the other garbage we have become accustomed to paying on top of the listed price. Perhaps even more importantly, parking was included with our ticket. That alone makes LOVB one of my favorite sports leagues. Once we got into the arena, I thought there was a lot for fans (and especially kids) to do in the concourse. There were places for multiple photo ops as well as crafts, games and free stuff. Of greater interest to me were the concessions and the coffee and ice cream stands. I liked the coffee a lot, even if it could have been stronger. After spending over two hours in the car, the coffee and smoothies were welcome treats. The Game Experience is A Lot of Fun I had a hard time getting the QR codes on the jumbotron to work, though I suspect that had more to do with my phone and the angle we were sitting at than anything else. I was excited that the one QR code I did get to work was for the light show during player introductions. It would have been more fun if more people participated, or if it involved the Alan Parsons Project , but I thought it was very cool. The in-house DJ played a lot of fun songs in between points, though I would have loved to have requested “C’mon N; Ride It (The Train)” if my phone would have cooperated. The in-arena host was pretty good as well, especially when you consider the limited amount of time for timeouts or between sets. One thing I was missing in the arena is player stats. It was nice that they flashed the team stats on the jumbotron during timeouts, but I had no idea how many blocks Rebekah Alick had (she was only credited with two but I swear she had at least twice that many) or how many points Tessa Grubbs had (15). Its one thing to have Match Central pulled up on a second screen at home, but I wish I didn’t feel like I had to have my phone out during the match. I really hope Tessa Grubbs is okay. I was really impressed with Grubbs when I caught Atlanta in the Match of the Week a couple of weeks ago, and she was Atlanta’s only consistent source of offense through the first two-and-a-half sets. Grubbs scored 15 of Atlanta’s 50 points despite missing the second half of the third set after she landed on a Madison player’s foot. I was impressed with how Atlanta rallied after she went down, but it is hard to imagine they will win much if Grubbs has to miss any time. One-handed sets are so much fun There weren’t very many in this match because the passing was so on point, but the few we saw may have been the most exciting plays of the day. I think I like one-handed sets because it feels like the setter is taking a near-disaster and turning it into a real attacking opportunity. Illinois native Lauren Carlini struggled at times and was even benched for a while, but she had a couple impressive one-handed sets that made something out of nothing. Atlanta’s passing was outstanding I understand why Atlanta setter Raichel Fairbanks was named Player of the Match, but I thought she got the ball in a perfect position to run the offense nearly every time, even when Madison was serving very tough. Overall, Atlanta had a 56.1 in system percentage, but it seemed even higher than that during the match. Marlena Hayden is fun to watch Madison couldn’t get much going offensively, but the most exciting moments came when they brought Hayden in to serve. Atlanta was in system on just one of Hayden’s six serves, and she had one of Madison’s two aces. Every time she entered it game, it felt like when a baseball team brings in a flamethrowing closer from the bullpen. SEE MORE ARTICLES & VIDEOS About the Author Steve Pimental would rather write 20,000 words about Stef Dolson than write two sentences about himself. He lives near Chicago with his beagle/shepherd mix, Hootie.

Explore top contenders, sleepers & dark horses for the 2026 Qatar Open — insiders’ previews of Rybakina, Swiatek, Anisimova & more. February 8, 2026 WTA Qatar Open Preview Sasha Yodashkin Women's main draw play at the 2026 Qatar Open will begin Sunday, Feb. 8 from Doha, Qatar. The Qatar Open is the first of 10 WTA 1000 level events on the 2026 calendar. This outdoor hard-court tournament has a 56-player draw with byes for the top eight seeds and features most of the top players on the WTA Tour. Seven of the top 10 players in the WTA rankings are in the draw, with the exception of Aryna Sabalenka , Jessica Pegula and Belinda Bencic . Below are the top title contenders, dark horses and sleepers for the 2026 Qatar Open. Favorite to Win the 2026 Qatar Open Elena Rybakina : Rybakina is the No. 2 seed, but she looks like the player to beat in Doha, especially without Sabalenka in the draw. The big-serving Rybakina defeated Sabalenka in the championship matches of the last two big hard-court WTA events, first winning the WTA Finals to close out 2025 and then claiming her second career Grand Slam title at this year's Australian Open. Her march to the title in Melbourne included a 7-5, 6-1 quarterfinal win over Iga Swiatek , who is the No. 1 seed at the Qatar Open. Rybakina's chalk opponents at the Qatar Open are No. 15 seed Diana Shnaider in the Round of 16, No. 5 seed Mirra Andreeva in the quarterfinals and No. 4 seed Coco Gauff in the semifinals. In the Mix to Win the 2026 Qatar Open Iga Swiatek : Swiatek won this tournament in 2022, 2023 and 2024 before having her reign ended in the 2025 semifinals by Jelena Ostapenko . The top-seeded Pole prefers clay but is clearly a fan of the hard-court conditions at this event judging by her favorable history at the Qatar Open. Iga could face No. 16 seed Elise Mertens in the Round of 16, then No. 6 Jasmine Paolini or No. 9 Linda Noskova in the quarterfinals before a potential semifinal showdown with defending Qatar Open champion Amanda Anisimova . Amanda Anisimova : Anisimova's 2025 breakout began with her title at the Qatar Open, and she returns to Doha one year later as the world's fourth-ranked player. Seeded No. 3 in Sabalenka's absence, Anisimova lands in the same half of the draw as Swiatek, who served up a pair of bagels to Anisimova in the Wimbledon final before the American exacted some revenge with a win over Swiatek at the U.S. Open. Anisimova's powerful groundstrokes and elite timing could be put to the test by crafty No. 14 seed Karolina Muchova in the Round of 16 and surging No. 7 seed Elina Svitolina in the quarterfinals. Mirra Andreeva : The fifth-seeded Andreeva gets the nod as a top contender over No. 4 seed Coco Gauff, as Gauff has lost her last three matches at the Qatar Open and has never advanced past the quarterfinals of this tournament. This will be the second Qatar Open appearance for the 18-year-old Andreeva, who won a pair of hard-court WTA 1000 titles in 2025. She has a 2-1 career head-to-head edge over Rybakina, which could come into play in their potential quarterfinal meeting. Prior to that point, Andreeva could face No. 10 seed Victoria Mboko in a Round of 16 battle between two of the WTA Tour's brightest young stars. Sleepers to Win the 2026 Qatar Open Elina Svitolina : Svitolina has the best chance of claiming the Qatar Open title among players outside the top five seeds. The seventh-seeded Ukrainian is off to a 10-1 start in 2025, with the lone loss coming against Sabalenka in the semifinals of the Australian Open after Svitolina defeated Andreeva and Gauff. Svitolina has been a perennial contender hanging around the top 10, and she's showing no signs of slowing down at age 31. She's the potential quarterfinal opponent for Anisimova, and Svitolina has struggling 12th-seeded American Emma Navarro as her chalk opponent in the Round of 16. Karolina Muchova : Muchova is one of the toughest outs on the WTA Tour when healthy. She has made it past the second round of only five Grand Slam events since the start of 2023 but reached at least the semifinals in three of those five events, so Muchova's tough to beat once she settles into her game. She's 6-2 to begin 2026, with a win over Rybakina and respectable losses to Sabalenka and Gauff. Muchova could face Anisimova in the Round of 16 here in what would be an intriguing clash of styles between Anisimova's power and Muchova's ability to disrupt rhythm with net approaches, slices and touch. Jelena Ostapenko : Ostapenko's unseeded here, but the world No. 24 is capable of catching fire and making a deep run at any tournament with her high-risk, high-reward approach off the ground. She has a history of strong performances at the Qatar Open, reaching the final twice (including last year) and adding another semifinal showing. Ostapenko landed in a relatively open section of the draw, matching up with No. 8 seed Ekaterina Alexandrova in the second round if the Latvian can get past 107th-ranked Anastasia Zakharova in the first round, with a chance to eventually face Gauff in the quarterfinals. Those looking for more tennis coverage can check out RotoWire's latest tennis news , Tennis Injury Report , Tennis Eventspage , and Tennis Player Comparison tool . SEE MORE ARTICLES & VIDEOS About the Author Sasha has been contributing NFL, NHL, NBA, MLB and Tennis content to RotoWire since 2015, with an emphasis on DFS. He is a huge New York sports fan who has been playing fantasy sports since middle school.

February 6, 2026 Unrivaled 1-on-1 Mock Bracket EJ Arocho Pod A Kelsey Mitchell Skylar Diggins Courtney Williams Kelsey Plum Jordin Canada Natisha Hiedeman Veronica Burton Rachel Banham Pod B Paige Bueckers Jackie Young Chelsea Gray Arike Ogunbowale Brittney Sykes Natasha Cloud Kate Martin Tiffany Hayes Pod C Kahleah Copper Allisha Gray Marina Mabrey Sonia Citron Rhyne Howard Saniya Rivers Rickea Jackson Rae Burrell Pod D Breanna Stewart Alyssa Thomas Aaliyah Edwards Dearica Hamby Dominique Malonga Aliyah Boston Shakira Austin Li Yueru Finals Bracket- QF A-1 Kelsey Mitchell vs A-3 Courtney Williams B-1 Paige Bueckers vs B-2 Jackie Young C-1 Kahleah Copper vs C-6 Saniya Rivers D-4 Dearica Hamby vs D-3 Aaliyah Edwards Finals Bracket- SF A-1 Kelsey Mitchell vs B-2 Jackie Young C-1 Kahleah Copper vs D-3 Aaliyah Edwards Finals Bracket- F B-2 Jackie Young d. C-1 Kahleah Copper SEE MORE ARTICLES & VIDEOS About the Author EJ Arocho is Mr. Women’s Basketball and lives in New Jersey. Lives by the shore but looking to make waves everywhere!

If you’re not following EuroLeague Women on YouTube, you should be... I'm going to continue to watch as much as I can, with an eye towards the players who could make a difference in the WNBA, if they actually have a season. Here are four EuroLeague players who have caught my eye this season... February 5, 2026 Notable EuroLeague Performances Steve Pimental If you’re not following EuroLeague Women on YouTube, you should be. I love that you can find the games streamed live there, and their highlight videos are very well done. I’m going to be sad next year when the games are on some streaming service I don’t have, and it will be far more difficult to watch. Until that happens, I’m going to continue to watch as much as I can, with an eye towards the players who could make a difference in the WNBA, if they actually have a season. Here are four EuroLeague players who have caught my eye this season. Sevgi Uzun, Fenerbahce Opet I think Uzun is one of the players who will benefit from WNBA expansion. I don’t think she’ll ever be a starter in this league, but she helped stabilize a Sky team in desperate need of competent point guard play in the second half of the season. As the league adds more teams, a solid backup point guard who averages 5.2 assists per 36 minutes, as Uzun has in each of her WNBA seasons, will be increasingly hard to find. On the surface, the 28-year-old is the same player she has always been. Her averages of 6.8 PPG, 1.0 RPG and 3.6 APG are nearly identical to last Euroleague season. What has changed is her three-point shooting. Uzun is seventh in Euroleague in three-point percentage at 41.4 percent, making 12 of her 29 attempts. That is an admittedly small sample, but it is just better than the 5-for-30 she shot in 25 WNBA games last season. If she can just get to the point where she has to be guarded at the three-point line, it would open up her entire game. An improved three-point shot would be especially vital if she returns to the Sky, who were 12th in three-point attempts and ninth in three-point percentage last season. If she could just make enough threes so that opponents would have to think twice before double-teaming Angel Reese or Kamilla Cardoso in the paint, that would be extremely valuable. Maria Conde, Beretta Famila Schio Conde was selected by the Golden State Valkyries in the expansion draft after she was drafted in the third round by the Chicago Sky in 2019. Conde missed all of the 2025 WNBA season with an Achilles injury, though it is unclear if she would have come over even if she were healthy. Conde is on this list because she is healthy now. She is third in the EuroLeague in assists per game, and along with Lynx forward Jessica Shepard, has led Beretta Famila Schio to the quarter-final play-in. She has always prioritized playing for Spain in the summer, but one under-discussed aspect of the new CBA, whenever there is one, is that it will be far more lucrative for European players to come play in the W when their national team obligations are over. Golden State’s depth was a strength in 2025 but it could get depleted between the two-team expansion draft and free agency. Conde has proven with her Euroleague play that she can contribute if the Valkyries can convince her to come over. Leila Lacan, Basket Landes Lacan was the third rookie drafted on the third-worst team in the WNBA, and as such, I think her rookie season got severely overlooked. She was arguably Connecticut’s best rookie, averaging 10.4 points, 2.4 rebounds, 3.7 assists per game. Her 2.2 steals per game were second in the WNBA, behind only Gabby Williams. I highlighted Lacan as one of my per 36-minute All-Stars , but I may have undersold her. Or perhaps, at just 21 years old, she is just getting better. Lacan is ninth in the Euroleague in points per game, eighth in free throw percentage, and sixth in steals per game. Most importantly, like Maria Conde, Lacan has shot the ball much better from three in Euroleague, shooting 41.5 percent on 3.4 attempts per game after she shot just 22.4 percent on 2.7 threes per game with Connecticut. In her recent game against Fenerbahce Opet, I thought her three-point shooting basically kept her team in the game against the European powerhouse. She looked much more comfortable pulling on catch-and-shoot threes than she did with Connecticut. In the W, I watched her dribble out of open looks or take forever to load up her shot. Against Fener, she was looking for her shot with even a little bit of space. And when her gravity drew the attention of the other team, she did a great job of finding open teammates. Lacan still doesn’t get all the way to the rim much, even in Europe, but she was arguably the best player on the court against a Fenerbahce team that played six WNBA players and Sevgi Uzun. Lacan was named EuroLeague Women MVP for January, with 20.7 points, 2.3 assists and 2.0 steals per game in the month. I don’t know if she’ll ever be a WNBA All-Star but I’m starting to think she can be a quality starter as soon as next season. We’ll see what Connecticut does in the offseason, but between Lacan’s play in Europe and Aaliyah Edwards filling the stat sheet in Unrivaled, I’m starting to think they could be surprisingly competitive in 2026. Ivana Dojkic, Umana Reyer Venezia The Liberty have Dojkic’s rights after she played for them in 2024 and sat out the 2025 WNBA season. I think Dojkic could be selected in the expansion draft, though the Liberty have several candidates who may not be protected, including Raquel Carrera, Marine Fauthoux, Rebekah Gardner, Han Xu and Nyara Sabally. Dojkic isn’t the fastest player off the dribble or on defense, but she is a confident shooter off the dribble, especially in the midrange. She has shot 40.2 percent on threes in two WNBA seasons, and that alone makes her a valuable WNBA player. She’ll need to improve her two-point shooting to be a difference-maker in the WNBA, but I have been very impressed with her midrange shooting and her finishing around the basket in the EuroLeague. The more I watch, the more I think she is ready for a bigger role, either for the Liberty or one of the expansion teams. SEE MORE ARTICLES & VIDEOS About the Author Steve Pimental would rather write 20,000 words about Stef Dolson than write two sentences about himself. He lives near Chicago with his beagle/shepherd mix, Hootie.

February 3, 2026 The Five Best Rivalries in Women’s Sports Steve Pimental The Winter Olympics begin on Wednesday, and I am excited to revisit some sports I enjoy but haven’t thought about for four years, like curling and speedskating. Mostly, though, I am looking forward to the resumption of one of my favorite rivalries in sports, the United States vs. Canada in Women’s Hockey. They will face off on Thursday, February 12, in what will almost certainly determine the winner of Group A. We will most likely get to see them exactly one week later in the Gold Medal game. My anticipation for these games has gotten me thinking about my other favorite rivalries in women’s sports. When two teams who don’t like each other face off, it is must-see TV. Even more so when the stakes are high. With that in mind, I present my favorite women’s sports rivalries. 1. USA Hockey vs. Canada These two teams have combined to win all seven Olympic gold medals and six silver medals in women’s hockey. The only exception was 2006, when the United States lost to Sweden in a shootout in the semifinals. Canada has won four of the six gold medal games, including most recently in 2022. I very clearly remember staying up late to watch team USA’s shootout victory in 2018, and just falling in love with that team throughout the entire tournament. I am fully prepared for that to happen again this year, even if there is a good chance the only close games are against Canada. 2. Seattle Reign vs. Portland Thorns I was surprised to learn that the Seattle Reign have never won an NWSL title. I knew they were fierce rivals with the Portland Thorns and that Portland had won multiple times (three to be exact), so I guess I had just assumed that by the transitive property, Seattle had at least won one title. That isn’t to say this matchup hasn’t been tightly contested. In 43 meetings across all competitions, Portland has 17 wins compared to 16 for Seattle, with 10 draws. The tightly contested nature of these matchups has certainly added to the rivalry, as has the star power. For a long time, this rivalry was epitomized by Christine Sinclair vs. Megan Rapinoe. Two of the best players and biggest stars of their generation went toe-to-toe for a number of seasons. On top of that, this rivalry was aided by the proximity of the two cities as well as the fact that soccer is the only sport these two have faced off in since the Supersonics left Seattle and the Portland Fire left the WNBA. There were no NFL or NBA or MLB or NHL matchups between these two cities, so all of the regional animus was projected into Thorns/Reign and Timbers/Sounders. For having so few teams, the NWSL actually has a surprising number of heated rivalries, including Angel City FC vs. San Diego Wave FC and Gotham FC vs. Washington Spirit, but Thorns/Reign takes the cake. 3. Las Vegas Aces vs. New York Liberty Its a little sad that we’re 30 years in the WNBA and we don’t really have any sustained team rivalries. You could argue the Comets had a rivalry with the New York Liberty, who they beat three times in the finals. The league started out with an intense rivalry between the Houston Comets and New York Liberty, who met in three of the first four WNBA Finals. With recent news that the Houston Rockets ownership is looking to purchase the Connecticut Sun and move them to Houston, perhaps that rivalry can be rekindled. After the Comets left the league in 2008, the Minnesota Lynx/Los Angeles Sparks rivalry dominated the 2010s. They met in back-to-back finals in 2016 and 2017, with both teams winning once. That was after Minnesota eliminated Los Angeles from the playoffs in 2012 and 2015. Unfortunately, this rivalry lost some of its luster with the early retirement of Maya Moore and Derek Fisher’s gross mismanagement of the Sparks. Los Angeles has some promising young players and is hoping to bring back Kelsey Plum, but they first need to make the playoffs if we have any hope of rekindling the rivalry. That brings us to the teams that have combined to win the last three WNBA championships, including when the Aces beat the Liberty in the finals in 2023. Before that, the Aces lost to Liberty star Breanna Stewart in the finals to 2020, which only adds to the rivalry. The teams did not meet in the playoffs in 2025, but they did have three intense regular-season meetings with the Aces looking to defend their title, and both teams expected to bring back most, if not all of their stars, there is a good chance this rivalry will continue in 2026 and beyond. 4. Chelsea vs. Barcelona These teams have met in the finals or Semi-finals of the Women’s Champions League four of the last five years, with Barca coming out on top every time. That being said, Chelsea appears to be closing the gap. When these teams met in November, it ended in a 1-1 draw. It is Barcelona’s only draw in six Champions League games this season, and Chelsea currently sits third behind Barcelona and Lyon in the Champions League table. One of the reasons this rivalry is so intense and so important to women's soccer is that these clubs have largely been unchallenged in their domestic leagues. Chelsea has finished top of the table in nine of the last 11 WSL seasons, including each of the last six. Barcelona, for its part, has won Liga F all three seasons of its existence. Chelsea’s WSL dominance may be in jeopardy as they have lost three of their last five and are currently 12 points behind Manchester City, but they are on track to face Barcelona in the Champions League playoffs yet again. 5. South Carolina vs. UConn Women’s Basketball These have been the two best teams in college basketball, more or less, since the day Dawn Staley arrived in Columbia. UConn is currently No. 1 in the rankings while South Carolina is third. They have met 14 times since 2015, including twice in the National Championship game. As the overall talent continues to rise in the women’s game, I feel like the odds of one or two teams continuing to dominate are getting increasingly small. That is why we have to enjoy this rivalry now, before Geno Auriemma retires and Dawn Staley takes a job in the NBA. Which rivalries did I miss? What is a rivalry that is underrated or up-and-coming? Let me know on Instagram. SEE MORE ARTICLES & VIDEOS About the Author Steve Pimental would rather write 20,000 words about Stef Dolson than write two sentences about himself. He lives near Chicago with his beagle/shepherd mix, Hootie.

Women's main draw play at the 2026 Abu Dhabi Open will begin Sunday, Feb. 1. The Abu Dhabi Open is a WTA 500 level event. This outdoor hard-court tournament has a 28-player draw with byes for the top four seeds and features numerous women's tennis stars, including five top-20 players. Below are the top title contenders, dark horses and sleepers for the 2026 Abu Dhabi Open. February 2, 2026 WTA Abu Dhabi Open Preview Sasha Yodashkin Favorite to Win the 2026 Abu Dhabi Open Belinda Bencic : Bencic is the defending Abu Dhabi Open champion and No. 1 seed. She came into this tournament ranked 157th in 2025 while working her way back from maternity leave. One year later, Bencic is back in the top 10. Her exquisite timing allows Bencic to hug the baseline and effortlessly redirect the ball to stay on the front foot and move opponents around. She's one of four players with a first-round bye in this 28-player draw. Bencic's chalk opponents are No. 7 seed Jelena Ostapenko in the quarterfinals, No. 3 seed Clara Tauson in the semifinals and No. 2 seed Ekaterina Alexandrova in the final. None of those three players have a winning head-to-head record against the top seed. In the Mix to Win the 2026 Abu Dhabi Open Clara Tauson : Tauson is coming off a tough three-set loss to Victoria Mboko in the third round of the Australian Open, but the 23-year-old Dane has a lot going for her on the heels of a strong 2025 campaign that helped Tauson climb up to her current ranking of No. 14. She's 1-1 against potential semifinal opponent Bencic, though the third-seeded Tauson has tricky unseeded veterans Daria Kasatkina and Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova in her section, as well as No. 6 seed Leylah Fernandez . There's a good chance that Tauson will be the top-ranked player in the Abu Dhabi Open field a year from now given her career trajectory, so she's certainly capable of handling the difficult draw that awaits her following a first-round bye. Ekaterina Alexandrova : Alexandrova has gotten off to a rough start in 2026, with a 1-3 record to begin the campaign. The big-hitting No. 2 seed will try to get back on track here. After a first-round bye, she'll face either Dayana Yastremska or Beatriz Haddad Maia. No. 8 seed Paula Badosa is a potential quarterfinal opponent for Alexandrova. If Alexandrova can find the timing on her powerful groundstrokes, the world No. 11 could contend for her sixth career singles title on the WTA Tour here. Emma Navarro : Navarro took a step back in 2025 after the breakout 2024 campaign that got her into the top 10. Having regressed back to 15th and coming off a first-round exit at the Australian Open, the athletic American could use a deep run here, though she may need to get through No. 5 seed Liudmila Samsonova in the quarterfinals. That would be an interesting clash of styles, as the fourth-seeded Navarro relies primarily on defense and consistency while Samsonova is a power hitter in the mold of Tauson and Alexandrova. Sleepers to Win the 2026 Abu Dhabi Open Paula Badosa : Badosa is as good as anybody in the draw when fully healthy, but the former world No. 2 and 2025 Australian Open semifinalist has dealt with myriad injuries in her career. The 28-year-old Spaniard snagged the No. 8 seed at the Abu Dhabi Open and will face compatriot Jessica Bouzas Maneiro in the first round. Badosa is in Alexandrova's section of the draw. Alexandra Eala : Eala burst onto the scene with a pair of top-10 wins en route to the semifinals of the Miami Open last year, and the 20-year-old Filipina added some deep runs at smaller tournaments as the year progressed. She has played her best tennis in fast court conditions and has shown she can go toe to toe with top players when she's on her game. Eala is currently ranked 49th, so she's unseeded at the Abu Dhabi Open. She'll face Zeynep Sonmez in the first round and could battle Badosa in the second round. Those looking for more tennis coverage can check out RotoWire 's latest tennis news , Tennis Injury Report , Tennis Eventspage , and Tennis Player Comparison tool . SEE MORE ARTICLES & VIDEOS About the Author Sasha has been contributing NFL, NHL, NBA, MLB and Tennis content to RotoWire since 2015, with an emphasis on DFS. He is a huge New York sports fan who has been playing fantasy sports since middle school.

January 30, 2026 Unrivaled Midseason Awards EJ Arocho All-Unrivaled First Team Chelsea Gray The defending champ & Finals MVP is leading the league in scoring (29.0 PPG), assists (6.4 APG), 3-pointers (4.0 3PG), 3PT% (52.8%) and minutes (22.3 MPG). She also ranks 3rd in game winners (2), 3rd in FT's (2.6 FTM), 4th in steals (1.6 SPG), 4th in FG% (55.6%) and 7th in FT% (94.7%). Her do-it-all effort has Rose currently at 3rd place in the standings with a 4-3 record. Paige Bueckers A newcomer in Season 2, she's DEFINITELY not playing like one! She has Breeze locked in the middle of the standings at 4-3 and will likely continue surging toward the top with Herculean efforts; 4th in scoring (23.9 PPG), T-1st in assists (6.4 APG), 1st in game winners (3), 7th in rebounds (7.4 RPG), 4th in 3PT% (44.8%), 9th in FG% (52.5%) and 9th in blocks at just under 1.0 BPG. Her style of play thrives in 3x3 basketball and the stats back that up. She is certainly in contention (Top 3) for MVP at the halfway point of the season. Allisha Gray Last week, Lish became just the second player in Unrivaled history to reach 400 points. She's come out swinging this season, boosting the Mist to 2nd place in the standings; 24.3 PPG, good for 3rd in the league, while dishing out 3.4 APG & swiping 1.1 SPG, 9th and 10th in the league, respectively. Putting up over 24 PPG in less than 17 MPG is wildly impressive! All-Unrivaled Second Team Brittney Sykes Slim continues to show that she's one of the best hoopers on the planet. A defending champ with Rose last season, her numbers with Laces are way up. She ranks 7th in points at 21.0 PPG and doing so at 15.7 MPG. She kicked off the season with 31 points and has tallied two 20+ point games since. Breanna Stewart The fadeaway. The 3 ball. The put-backs. Stewie has a deep bag offensively, something we see every time she takes the court. And it's like she gets better with age, too! Her numbers this season with [current] 2nd place Laces are stellar, averaging a near double-double at 19.7 PPG & 9.1 RPG, 10th and 4th in the league, respectively. She keeps the points high while keeping the turnovers and fouls low, making for an extremely efficient body of work. Aliyah Boston AB's second year at Unrivaled has seen exponential growth in her game, among the league's best in several categories. She currently ranks 12th in scoring (18.9 PPG), 3rd in rebounds (9.7 RPG), 6th in steals (1.3 SPG) and 1st in blocks (1.9 BPG) for Phantom who sits in 5th place. She's tallied four 20+ point games and a double-double thus far. Player of the Year Chelsea Gray Defensive Player of the Year Veronica Burton Most Improved Marina Mabrey Newcomer of the Year Paige Bueckers SEE MORE ARTICLES & VIDEOS About the Author

Here are my takeaways from an entertaining match that Houston won in four sets... January 29, 2026 Checking In On LOVB Steve Pimental It's hard to believe we are in Week 4 of LOVB already. It feels like opening night was just last week. Instead, we are roughly a quarter of the way through LOVB’s second season. Before we got too deep into the season, I wanted to be sure to catch the LOVB Match of the Week between Houston and Atlanta. These teams finished at the top of the LOVB regular-season standings last season, though injuries and turnover have led to slow starts in year two. Here are my takeaways from an entertaining match that Houston won in four sets. One of the things I love about watching LOVB is that the points are just as fun to watch when the teams are scrambling and out of system as when they are running their offense. Both can be fun to watch, though I think my favorite is when they are struggling to just get the ball over the net by any means possible. It just feels dramatic in a way that you don’t get with a lot of other sports. I think LOVB and USA Network do a better job of taking us inside the team huddles than any broadcast I’ve seen. During a first-set timeout, we got to hear everything Atlanta head coach Paulo Coco was saying to his team, as well as a one-on-one conversation with Coco and one of his players. It's a far cry from the NBA (and to a lesser extent the WNBA), where you only get a few seconds of the coach in the huddle, and they rarely get captured saying anything too interesting. I actually found myself hoping for more timeouts so that I could hear more of what the coaches were telling their teams. I like that LOVB distinguishes between when a team is challenging a call and when the referee initiated the replay review. In both cases, I continue to be impressed at how well they explain what is being reviewed and how quickly the calls are made. Houston and Atlanta entered this game at the bottom of the standings, but I think that says more about the depth of the league than about how these teams played in the first three weeks of the season. This may be difficult to do without expanding the league, but I wish LOVB had more doubleheaders. Wednesday’s game left me wanting more, and it was a little disappointing that I have to wait 24 hours for the next game. One of these days, I am going to have to do a deep dive into the LOVB stats page, because I thought it was really interesting. I got a little distracted during the second set because I went to look up Jordan Thompson’s hit percentage and wound up engrossed in the entire stats page. I’m obviously biased because I am a pretty big stats nerd , but I highly recommend watching LOVB with Match Central on a second screen. I love the ability to follow both the team and individual stats in real time. Maybe it's just because I’m a more casual fan, but sometimes I find the action is so fast that I can’t really get a sense of the ebb and flow of the match. I feel like I have a better understanding of what I’m watching when I have the stats at hand. It's only a slight hyperbole to say my favorite part of watching this match was when the announcers would recommend which players were the best follows on Instagram. I still haven’t watched enough of these teams to know a whole lot about any of these players, but I look forward to learning more about them both on and off the court. Kalsa Alanko came into this game third in the league in setting efficiency, but second on her own team to US Olympian Micha Hancock. Hancock will almost certainly re-enter the starting lineup when healthy, but I was very impressed with Alanko’s play. Alanko raised her efficiency in this game, and I thought she did a very good job feeding Jordan Thompson consistently while also getting the ball to Amber Iglede when she got a good pass. I never knew they gave yellow and red cards in LOVB but I thought Houston head coach Sanja Tomašević was totally justified in earning her yellow card. I thought the replay pretty clearly showed Thompson hitting Ivonee Montaño’s hand and not the ball, though it was close enough that I didn’t mind the fact that the replay review seemed to take longer than all the other reviews combined. Tia Jimerson doing the Dikembe Mutombo finger wag after a huge block on Jordan Thompson is absolutely what I wanted out of this game. The game is so fast that there aren’t always a ton of opportunities for the players to show their personalities, but I loved that celebration. SEE MORE ARTICLES & VIDEOS About the Author Steve Pimental would rather write 20,000 words about Stef Dolson than write two sentences about himself. He lives near Chicago with his beagle/shepherd mix, Hootie.

I have long wished for more/better stats for women’s sports in general, and the WNBA in particular. I am hopeful that more stats are on the way that can lend an even deeper understanding to this game that we love...here are five WNBA stats we need for next season... January 27, 2026 Five WNBA Stats We Need Steve Pimental I have been known to geek out about the WNBA in general, and stats in particular, quite a bit. Its why I’ve written articles about my per 36-minute All-Stars and the WNBA’s potential three-point reckoning . As an analyst, I think it is my job to shine a light on the most intriguing stories in women’s sports, and using advanced statistics is one of the best ways I know how to do that. That is why, when I received an email from the WNBA last week asking me to take a two-minute survey providing feedback on their Advanced Stats experience, I got more excited than any person ever should be to take a survey. I have long wished for more/better stats for women’s sports in general, and the WNBA in particular. I am hopeful that this survey is an indication that more stats are on the way that can lend an even deeper understanding to this game that we love. With that in mind, here are five WNBA stats we need for next season (whenever that is). 1. Playtype Stats One of the things I wrote in my survey is that, at a base level, I want all the same stats for the WNBA that we have for the NBA. That isn’t to say that the NBA has all the stats we need or that I want the WNBA to simply copy the NBA, but it would be a start. There are a lot of stats I wish we had for the WNBA, but perhaps the most important, in my view, are playtype stats. I would love to know which teams run the most pick-and-roll, and who does it most efficiently. Do the Minnesota Lynx really score a ton of points on cuts, or does it just seem that way because I watched some of their best games? Which teams are still relying heavily on post-ups, and is it still effective in the modern game? These are all questions that we have to answer anecdotally, or from watching film, because we don’t have access to the playtype stats that could provide more insight. 2. Pace Stats In the beginning of the offseason, I wrote about four potential strategies that WNBA teams could bring from the NBA. Chief among those was pressuring higher up the court on defense and pushing the pace on offense. Unfortunately, even if those things come to pass this season, we don’t currently have great stats to capture it. Pace is a fine approximation for how fast a team plays by measuring the number of possessions used per 40-minute game, but it doesn’t tell us how a team is getting there. A team may play at a fast pace because they shoot early in the shot clock, or because they push the ball in transition, or because they turn the ball over a lot. Knowing the pace is high is great for identifying which players we want to use for fantasy, but there are potentially better statistics for actually analyzing strategy. I would love to know how quickly teams get the ball over half court, or get into their first action. A team can play fast but still take a while to find a shot. That is useful to know. 3. Shot quality Stats One of the things I have learned about myself recently is that I like it when I can use statistics to collaborate or contradict what I am seeing with my own eyes. This is true of my sports fandom as well as in my personal life. This year, I have gotten back into running and eating healthy(er), and while I haven’t seen great improvement (yet) in my running performance or on the scale, I have noticed that I have a lot more energy than when I was spending most of my free time in front of my computer. Last year, I bought a new Garmin running watch, which has a feature they call Body Battery. I’m not sure exactly how it works, but I love that I can open my app and see that my Body Battery has been higher the last three weeks than in any of the six previous months. Rather than telling my friends or my therapist, “I have more energy,” I can say, “Look at this graph”. That’s what I want from my WNBA stats. When I watched the Dream and Valkyries jack up threes last season, I often wondered whether or not they were actually good shots. Atlanta was second in offensive rating and three-point attempts despite finishing seventh in three-point percentage, so I guess the answer is yes, those were good shots. But I would love to know if they were actually good shots, based on who was shooting them and how open they were. 4. Potential assists The problem with assists as a player stat is that they are dependent on the player who received the pass, making the shot. Veronica Burton finished fourth in the WNBA in assists last season, which was awfully impressive and was one of the reasons she was the 2025 WNBA Most Improved Player. I would argue Burton was even more impressive than her assists stat would indicate. The Valkyries were last in the league in field goal percentage. It stands to reason that if Golden State surrounded Burton with better shooters, she would have had more assists, but we’ll never know for certain. I would love to know how many passes per game Burton threw that directly led to a shot, and how that compares to the other assist leaders around the league. Would it turn out that Burton actually created more looks for her teammates than players with similar assist totals like Courtney Williams, Skylar Diggins, and Kelsey Plum? 5. Better Usage Stats Usage, as currently calculated, is useful but limited. That is basically the case for all of the stats I want. They expand on the stats that are currently available. In this case, I wish that usage included shot creation. If Kelsey Plum brings the ball up the court, comes off a screen, gets into the paint and then sprays the ball to an open shooter in the corner, that play doesn’t count towards her usage. But if she makes that same exact play, and the other team steals the pass, that does count. In either case, I would argue that Plum used that possession far more than the teammate who stood in the corner for a catch-and-shoot opportunity. It is great that usage includes turnovers and free throws, but I believe a pass that leads directly to a shot should count as well. SEE MORE ARTICLES & VIDEOS About the Author Steve Pimental would rather write 20,000 words about Stef Dolson than write two sentences about himself. He lives near Chicago with his beagle/shepherd mix, Hootie.

...A rivalry between these two generational stars has continued to build over the past few years, so this second-ever matchup at the pro level will be MUST SEE TV!... January 23, 2026 WNBA Schedule Drop: 5 Must See Games on Opening Week EJ Arocho Stewie, Sab & the Liberty: May 8th Opening night vs Connecticut will be one to watch closely as New York enters the Chris DeMarco era. Two of the league's brightest stars (Breanna Stewart & Sabrina Ionescu) will look to bounce back after a disappointing 2025 that saw them crash out in the 1st Rd of the playoffs. The Sun finished toward the bottom of the standings but have a bright future with 1st Round draftees Aneesah Morrow and Saniya Rivers on the roster. The Return of Caitlin Clark: May 9th Indiana kicks off its season against Paige and the Dallas Wings, who will also have the top draft pick for the second consecutive year. This will mark CC's first game back since July 15th, dealing with multiple injuries that sidelined her for the majority of the 2025 season. A rivalry between these two generational stars has continued to build over the past few years, so this second-ever matchup at the pro level will be MUST SEE TV! Ring Night & Finals Rematch: May 9th Vegas will watch their banner rise into the rafters and try on Championship rings in front of the very team they swept just seven months prior. All core players are likely to return and this matchup could very well set the tone for both the Aces and the Mercury this season. Could this be the start of A'ja Wilson's 5th MVP campaign? Point Gawd & MVP vs AT & KFC?! Count me in!! Barbie's Back: May 9th Injury sidelined Angel Reese for some of last year, playing 30 of Chicago's 44 games. The double-double machine boosts ratings in every game she plays... and opening night vs Portland is sure to be a big one! They'll look to rebound and kick off what they hope is a turnaround season after winning just 10 games in 2025. Juggernauts Collide: May 10th Atlanta and Minnesota meet in a highly anticipated affair. The Dream won last year's series 2-1 and there's no doubt in my mind the Lynx will look to exact revenge immediately. Both losses they suffered were by a total of just 6 points, which only adds to the sour taste in their mouths! Their third and final meeting last year resulted in a 96-92 OT win for Minnesota... and although they came away with the dub, they allowed six Dream players to score in double-figures. All eyes will be on Napheesa Collier to see if she's back [from ankle injuries]. SEE MORE ARTICLES & VIDEOS About the Author EJ Arocho is Mr. Women’s Basketball and lives in New Jersey. Lives by the shore but looking to make waves everywhere!

There is a lot to be excited about for LPGA fans, and these are the six questions I want answers to in 2026... January 22, 2026 Six Burning Questions for the LPGA Season Steve Pimental The 2026 LPGA season starts next week with the Hilton Grand Vacations Tournament of Champions, and it will have a tough act to follow. The 2025 season was historic for a number of reasons, going all the way until October before we got our first repeat winner on Tour. Seven of those winners came from the record-setting rookie class, and there appears to be another promising rookie class coming up in their wake. There is a lot to be excited about for LPGA fans, and these are the six questions I want answers to in 2026. 1. How many times will Nelly Korda win? I can’t think of a single player who has been as dominant but also as inconsistent as Nelly Korda. Beginning in 2019, she has had three, zero, five, two, one, seven, and zero wins per season. It is worth noting that the other goosegg came in just 12 events in 2020. Korda had a fine 2025 season by anyone else’s standards. She was second in total strokes gained, fifth in Official Money, second in scoring average per round, and tied for fourth in top-10 finishes. I would be completely shocked if Nelly Korda doesn’t win at least once this season. I think I will pick her for two wins. The LPGA is as deep and as young as it has ever been, which is the only reason I’m not picking her to win more. But if I had to guess, I would say Nelly has one more historic season in her, and it could come as soon as 2026. Either way, there is a good chance the answer to this question will define the LPGA season. 2. Will Jeeno Thitikul win her first major? The way fans and media talk about her, you would think Jeeno was nearing 30 years old and the end of her prime. Jeeno doesn’t turn 23 until February, and while her seven career wins and three multi-win seasons on Tour have rightfully come with big expectations, I think it is far too early to read too much into her major performances. If she wins multiple times this season and is still shut out of the majors, the conversation may be different. This year’s major courses are the best of the best, with the U.S. Women’s Open at Riviera, the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship at Hazeltine, and the AIG Women’s Open at Royal Lytham. I’m not sure how much that matters because there really aren’t many courses that don’t fit her game, though it may hurt her a bit if all of those courses play super long. I hope for all of our sakes that Jeeno wins at least one major so that we can put this narrative to rest once and for all. 3. How many rookies will win this year? Seven rookies won in 2025, including four from Japan. No rookies won in 2024, though we had at least three wins by rookies in each of the three seasons before that. The Tour seems to get younger and younger each year, with half of the top 10 in the Rolex Player of the Year Rankings being younger than 25. The influx of new talent from Japan doesn’t appear to be slowing down, but it is hard to imagine we will have another historic year like the one we just had. I would expect maybe two rookies win, but even more than that make an impact on tour. 4. How many wins will the sophomore class get? Is it crazy that I think this group could win even more in 2026? I feel like the Iwai twins both took a while to get their sea legs, and could be poised for bigger things this season. Chizzy Iwai didn’t have a single top-10 in seven starts when she won in Mexico in May, while five of Akie Iwai’s seven top-10s came after the calendar flipped to June. Miyu Yamashita will have a hard time being better in her second season but Rio Takeda could easily win more than once. I also think at least one of the players who didn’t win as a rookie will get on the board in 2026. Jenny Bae probably has the best shot, but I could see Cassie Porter, Yahui Zhang, or my girl Julia Lopez Ramirez winning at least once. At the end of the day, though, my main reason for believing this class could win more in 2026 is Lottie Woad. Woad only played 14 LPGA events last season, but she won her professional debut and added three more top-10s. I’m actually still surprised she only won once last season, but given a full schedule, there is a decent chance she wins at least twice this year. If I had to pick someone to win Player of the Year outside of Jeeno or Nelly, it might be Lottie. 5. Is this the year of the Rose Zhang breakout? It seems like Rose Zhang has been around forever, and in some ways, she has. At the same time, she only turned pro in 2023, and she has 11 career top-10s and two career wins. She only played 14 events in 2025, making seven cuts with two top-10s and zero wins. Rose was much better in her first two professional seasons, and if nothing else, I think she will bounce back to her previous form. That being said, she is still very young, and there is no doubt she has the talent to be one of the best players in the game. I’m going to go ahead and predict that happens this season, which would be not a moment too soon for the U.S. Solheim Cup team. 6. Can the U.S. win the Solheim Cup? Europe has won three of the last four Solheim Cups, including each of the last two held in Europe. And this may be the weakest U.S. team in some time. They really need Rose Zhang or Yealimi Noh to take a big step forward and join Nelly Korda as the superstars on this team. The rest of the team looks solid, if not spectacular. Based on the way she played last season, you would have to think Lexi Thompson would get a captain’s pick, assuming she doesn’t play enough events to make the team outright. Of course, Lexi’s record in seven Solheim Cup appearances is 10-10-7, so your mileage may vary on whether or not that’s a good thing. I would say at this point, I would be very surprised if the U.S. wins the Solheim Cup in the Netherlands, but there is still a ton of golf to be played between now and September. SEE MORE ARTICLES & VIDEOS About the Author Steve Pimental would rather write 20,000 words about Stef Dolson than write two sentences about himself. He lives near Chicago with his beagle/shepherd mix, Hootie.