Aneesah Morrow cemented her place in the NCAA history books this week.
The Chicago native and Simeon alumna became the second Division I women’s basketball player to record 100 career double-doubles when she tallied 28 points and 12 rebounds in LSU’s loss to Ole Miss on Sunday.
New Chicago Sky assistant coach Courtney Paris was the first player to cross the threshold, recording a record 128 double-doubles for Oklahoma from 2005-09 — including 112 consecutive.
Sunday’s performance was Morrow’s 26th double-double in 30 games this season, and she’s averaging 18.2 points and 14 rebounds — leading the nation in the latter category.
Morrow has averaged double-digit scoring and rebounding in all four years of her college career. The 6-foot-1 forward spent her first two seasons at DePaul, where she started every game and averaged 23.8 points and 13 rebounds.
After transferring to LSU in 2023, Morrow has become integral to the Tigers’ push to solidify their NCAA Tournament seeding — especially with star guard Flau’jae Johnson out for the SEC Tournament with shin inflammation. ESPN currently projects LSU as a No. 2 seed.
USA Today voters named Morrow the SEC Player of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year in addition to a unanimous first-team all-conference selection. But Texas center Madison Booker edged out Morrow for the conference’s official Player of the Year award.
Angel Reese, Ariel Atkins gain Unrivaled playoff berth
After a slow start to the Unrivaled season, Sky forward Angel Reese has powered Rose BC to the three-on-three league’s inaugural postseason with seven wins in their last eight games. Reese is averaging 13 points and 12.3 rebounds, and her productivity increased significantly in the last three weeks, including consecutive 20-point double doubles.
New Sky acquisition Ariel Atkins joined Rose for the end of the season as an injury replacement. Atkins connected with Reese for her first assist to her new teammate in Monday’s win over the Laces.
Bracket set for Big Ten women’s tournament
The slate is set for the Big Ten women’s basketball tournament, which begins Wednesday in Indianapolis, with USC and UCLA claiming the top two seeds in a stacked conference.
Illinois earned the No. 7 seed and a first-round bye after finishing with an 11-7 conference record. The Illini will face the Rutgers-Nebraska winner at 5:30 p.m. Thursday on Big Ten Network. If they advance, they would face UCLA on Friday in a 5:30 p.m. quarterfinal.
Northwestern did not qualify for the 15-team tournament after finishing 17th with a 2-16 conference record. In addition to 14 standard losses, the Wildcats forfeited two January road games against USC and UCLA because they chose not to travel amid the Los Angeles wildfires.
Number of the week: 14
Ranking in difficulty of the Bulls’ remaining schedule entering Tuesday night’s game against the Cleveland Cavaliers at the United Center.
The slate includes games against both conference leaders — the Cavs and Oklahoma City Thunder — plus a six-game trip March 15-24 during which the Bulls will face the Houston Rockets, Los Angeles Lakers and Denver Nuggets.
With a 2½-game lead entering Tuesday over the Brooklyn Nets and Philadelphia 76ers, the Bulls are well-positioned to hold on to 10th place in the East and the last spot in the play-in tournament.
Week ahead: Bulls
- Thursday: at Magic, 6 p.m. (CHSN)
- Saturday: at Heat, 7 p.m. (CHSN+)
- Monday: vs. Pacers, 7 p.m. (CHSN)
Week ahead: Unrivaled
- Friday: Rose (Angel Reese, Ariel Atkins) vs. Lunar Owls, 7:15 p.m. (TNT)
- Saturday: Mist (Courtney Vandersloot) vs. Laces, 5 p.m. (truTV)
- Monday: Mist vs. Lunar Owls, 6:30 p.m. (TNT); Rose vs. Vinyl, 7:30 p.m. (TNT)
What we’re reading
- Illinois’ Tomislav Ivišić and his twin Zvonimir have eyes on NBA — but 1st comes making an impact in March
- What will Bulls be missing with Ayo Dosunmu shut down for the rest of the season?
- Northwestern’s late comeback falls short. What does it mean for the Wildcats’ Big Ten Tournament hopes?
- Column: Remembering a time when the men in charge of Chicago’s legacy teams were giants
- Notre Dame ended the regular season with a meltdown. Are they still March Madness favorites?
- Sky will host Caitlin Clark and Indiana Fever at the United Center for 2 historic games this summer
- Bulls rely on 6-11 Zach Collins as the last center standing on an undersized roster
- Bulls and Sky Q&A: Why are Bulls satisfied with making the play-in? Can Kamilla Cardoso make the jump?
Quotable
“He texted me this morning: ‘This is your time. You gotta go.’” — the Bulls’ Dalen Terry on stepping into the shoes of Ayo Dosunmu, who is out for the season with a shoulder injury
