Ball Up Top is back for 2026 and ready to roll.

Tyler and Andrew are back on the show this week to discuss the recent happenings with the WNBA’s collective bargaining agreement negotiation. Were the players too late for calling a strike? Is there a way that things can be salvaged for the players now that a delay to the start of the season feels inevitable?

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The show continues with a deep dive into Kim Caldwell’s postgame comments after the Lady Vols loss to South Carolina in which she said that there were ‘quitters’ on her team. Was she right to say it? Does she even have the credibility to call out her team like that? Andrew and Tyler discuss and debate.

Both hosts wrap the show with a discussion about the National Player of the Year in women’s college basketball. Does Mikayla Blakes have enough juice to catch up to UConn’s Sarah Strong?

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0:00 - Show Introduction.

3:50 - The state of WNBA CBA negotiations and if the PA was late to calling a strike.

29:00 - Kim Caldwell’s Tennessee growing pains.

51:00 - Is Mikayla Blakes vs. Sarah Strong a real Player of the Year race in women’s college basketball?

Our musical intros are brought to you by Denver’s King of Mile HiFi, DLZMKSBTS. You can check out his music on Spotify and YouTube.

Facilities, Finances and the Firing of Teresa Weatherspoon. We give you the rundown on how the story of the Chicago Sky's issues came together and where the franchise goes next.

The 2026 WNBA Schedule, Budding NCAA Rivalries And Vic Schaefer On The Mic Again| Ball Up Top: A WBB Podcast

With so many games on this weekend’s dockets and several individual previews coming on YouTube this week, we decided to switch things up on Ball Up Top. Chauny, Tyler and Greer hold things down and react to the WNBA schedule release, examine which NCAA women’s basketball rivalry could be the next great one and wonder why Vic Schaefer keeps trying to fight an imaginary battle with the media.

If you enjoy Ball Up Top, please let us know on Apple and/or Spotify. We’d love it if you left us five stars and a nice review to help spread the good word of ball knowledge!

The show opens with a discussion about the WNBA schedule and which matchups stand out. In usual hater fashion, Chauny has a potential Paige vs. Caitlin matchup circled while some of the other games on the list, including a Fever vs. Dream rivalry maker game, are discussed by Greer and Tyler.

After touching briefly on the growing rivalries in the WNBA and some of the attempts to manufacture them, Chauny poses the question of which rivalries in the college game need to be nurtured. Ahead of Tennessee vs. UConn this weekend, the crew runs down their list of who can take the mantle of “pre-eminent women’s hoops battle” in today’s landscape.

The pod wraps with a discussion on Vic Schaefer, who once again decided to defend his team to drastic degrees in his weekly media availability.

0:00 - Show Introduction.

1:13 - WNBA Schedule Reactions.

19:24 - Which Rivalries Are Going To Be The Next Great One?

Greer’s Pick: USC vs. UCLA

Tyler’s Pick: Iowa vs. Iowa State

34:40 - Vic Schaefer In The Press. Again.

Our musical intros are brought to you by Denver’s King of Mile HiFi, DLZMKSBTS. You can check out his music on Spotify and YouTube.