The Bears left the weekend with a 6-0 record, bolstering their nationally-ranked pedigree. But they struggled in games for the first time this season, unable to put teams away, particularly against Rhodes. Whether or not this persists remains to be seen, but WashU’s identity seems to be taking form.

After finishing last season with an NCAA Division III Sweet 16 loss to Trine University, WashU opened the 2024-2025 season with a decisive 75-53 win at home against Rhodes College. 

Even as much of the roster remains intact, this year, expectations are different. As with any season, WashU wants to be that one team left standing. And this year, more than any year in the recent past, they have the pieces to do it.

When the No. 18 WashU women’s basketball team tips off its season on Nov. 15, it won’t just start a new season for the Bears. It’ll start a new era with coach Lisa Stone at the helm.  With two preseason All-Americans — graduate-student guard Jessica Brooks and sophomore center Lexy Harris — leading a deep lineup, Stone’s program, ranked 18th in the country in the preseason d3hoops.com poll, has the potential to run the table in 2024-25. 

Following a dominant win against Brandeis, the Washington University women’s basketball team needed to close its season with a big win against University Athletic Association (UAA) foe University of Chicago to secure its at-large spot in the NCAA tournament. 

The script for the Washington University Men’s basketball team has been pretty much the same lately: overcome early struggles, make clutch shots, and leave with a win. That’s the pattern they’ve been following for much of the past season, and it’s one they followed once again in their regular-season finale against the University of Chicago.