NEW YORK (AP) — The Minnesota Lynx have three straight games against the New York Liberty due to a scheduling quirk.
A rematch of last season's WNBA Finals feels in some ways like a playoff series for the Lynx, who beat the Liberty on Sunday 83-71 before traveling home. The team doesn't play again until hosting New York on Saturday. The Lynx then return to Barclays Center to face the Liberty on Aug. 19, playing three times in nine days.
“It’s a weird schedule, three games in nine days,” Minnesota guard Kayla McBride said. “You get to know a team and what they like to do."
New York doesn't have the same luxury, heading west for back-to-back games against Los Angeles and Las Vegas on Tuesday and Wednesday before traveling to play Minnesota for the home and home set.
“It would have been nice to have it be spread out a little bit,” New York coach Sandy Brondello said. “It’s a series with a few games extra for us, not for them.”
This is the fifth time since 2013 that one team has played another in three straight games in the regular season, according to Stats Perform. New York and Las Vegas played three straight games against each other in 2022. The year before the Lynx had three consecutive matchups against Indiana.
A number of factors go into scheduling such as arena availability.
The two teams will have played four times over a three-week stretch with Minnesota winning the first matchup at home on July 30.
New York star Breanna Stewart will most likely miss all of the games while recovering from a bone bruise in her right knee. Minnesota's Napheesa Collier, who is a front-runner for the MVP this season, was out for Sunday's matchup while dealing with a sprained right ankle. She might miss the next two meetings as well as she recovers.
“You never know what’s going to happen with teams and like the league didn’t know that Phee and I were both going to be out,” Stewart said. “You want to see everybody full throttle. That's the first game of the season or the second or the third, not August.”
Minnesota (27-5) currently has the best record in the WNBA with New York 6 1/2 games behind.
AP WNBA: https://apnews.com/hub/wnba-basketball
Minnesota Lynx head coach Cheryl Reeve calls out to players during the first half of a WNBA basketball game against the Las Vegas Aces Saturday, Aug. 2, 2025, in Las Vegas. (Steve Marcus/Las Vegas Sun via AP)
ANN ARBOR, Mich. (AP) — Michigan coach Dusty May has agreed on a deal that will have him continuing to lead the Wolverines “for many years to come,” athletic director Warde Manuel said Saturday.
Manuel made the comment during a ceremony celebrating Michigan’s NCAA Tournament championship.
“Dusty and I have already reached an agreement,” Manuel said in a remark that resulted in a standing ovation as well as chants of “Dusty!” from the crowd that had gathered at the Crisler Center.
Manuel then finished his comment.
“And he will be the leader of this basketball team for many years to come,” Manuel said.
The 49-year-old May led Michigan to a national title in his second season on the job after inheriting a program that went 8-24 the year before his arrival. Michigan went 37-3 this season and earned its first national title since 1989 by beating UConn 69-63 in the NCAA Tournament championship game.
He had been mentioned as a potential target for North Carolina, which hired former Denver Nuggets coach Michael Malone on Tuesday to replace the fired Hubert Davis.
“It’s been an honor for two years to represent all of you and to be called Coach by these guys,” May said during Saturday's ceremony. “Anytime you have a group come together and you feel like they gave you so much more than you could ever give them, it melts you. These guys did it for each other. They did it for the staff. They did it for all of you, and they did it for all the right reasons — with class, with great effort and support for each other. That’s all you can ask for as a coach.”
May owns an overall coaching record of 190-82. He went 126-69 at Florida Atlantic from 2018-24 and led the Owls to a 2023 Final Four appearance before going 64-13 at Michigan the last two seasons.
AP college basketball: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-basketball-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/college-basketball
Michigan forward Yaxel Lendeborg , left, and Trey McKenney celebrate during a parade celebrating their national championship win in the NCAA college basketball tournament , Saturday, April 11, 2026, in Ann Arbor, Mich. ( Devin Anderson-Torrez/Ann Arbor News via AP)
Michigan basketball fans cheer during a parade celebrating their national championship win in the NCAA college basketball tournament , Saturday, April 11, 2026, in Ann Arbor, Mich. ( Devin Anderson-Torrez/Ann Arbor News via AP)
Michigan's Trey McKenney throws a heart sign to fans during a parade celebrating their national championship win in the NCAA college basketball tournament , Saturday, April 11, 2026, in Ann Arbor, Mich. (Devin Anderson-Torrez/Ann Arbor News via AP)
Michigan head coach Dusty May smiles during a parade celebrating their national championship win in the NCAA college basketball tournament , Saturday, April 11, 2026, in Ann Arbor, Mich. (Devin Anderson-Torrez/Ann Arbor News via AP)
Michigan head coach Dusty May gestures during a parade celebrating their national championship win in the NCAA college basketball tournament , Saturday, April 11, 2026, in Ann Arbor, Mich. ( Devin Anderson-Torrez/Ann Arbor News via AP)
Michigan head coach Dusty May celebrates by cutting down the net after defeating UConn in the NCAA college basketball tournament national championship game at the Final Four, Monday, April 6, 2026, in Indianapolis. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)
Michigan head coach Dusty May, left, talks to fans as Yaxel Lendeborg, center, and L.J. Cason, right, listen as the team returns to campus Tuesday, April 7, 2026, in Ann Arbor, Mich., the day after defeating UConn at the Final Four of the NCAA college basketball tournament. (AP Photo/Paul Sancya)
