No. 1 Texas, No. 2 USC, No. 3 UConn, No. 4 UCLA, No. 5 South Carolina and No. 6 Notre Dame have emerged as top contenders for the NCAA Tournament title, but there isn’t a clear favorite. USC has wins over UCLA and UConn, but lost to Notre Dame. UConn dropped matchups against Notre Dame and USC, but blew out South Carolina. South Carolina also had losses against UCLA, but split the regular-season series against Texas. Texas also dropped a game against Notre Dame. You get the picture — it’s anyone’s game.
The NCAA Tournament championship is going to come down to stellar performances from the best players on the court. Who are those players?
Here are the top 10 players in women’s college basketball with March Madness weeks away:
The best players in women’s college basketball
All stats entering play Wednesday.
10. Mikayla Blakes, Vanderbilt
2024-25 stats: 23.3 PPG, 3.5 RPG, 3.1 APG, 2.5 SPG, 46.4 FG%, 35 3PT% (30 games)
The freshman guard etched her name in the history books when she broke the NCAA freshman single-game scoring record with 53 points in Vanderbilt’s 99-86 win over Florida on Jan. 3. She broke the record again with a career-high 55 points in the Commodores’ 98–88 overtime win over Auburn in February. Blakes was named the SEC’s Freshman of the Year and was named a finalist for the Naismith Hall of Fame’s Ann Meyers Drysdale Award, given to the nation’s top shooting guard.
9. Georgia Amoore, Kentucky
2024-25 stats: 18.8 PPG, 2.1 RPG, 6.9 APG, 42.4 FG%, 32.2 3PT% (28 games)
New division, no problem. Amoore followed former Virginia Tech head coach Kenny Brooks to Kentucky and the move proved beneficial for Amoore. The 5-foot-6 guard scored in double digits in all but one game this season and leads the SEC in assists per game (6.9). Amoore, who is third in the nation with 192 total assists on the season, is 18 assists away from setting a new single-season record at Kentucky. She was rightfully named the SEC’s Newcomer of the Year.
8. Ta’Niya Latson, Florida State
2024-25 stats: 25.4 PPG, 4.5 RPG, 4.7 APG, 2.2 SPG, 45.8 FG%, 35.5 3PT% (26 games)
Latson is the top scorer in the nation at 25.4 points per game and is a key piece to the Seminoles having the highest-scoring offense in the country (88.2 ppg). Latson has recorded at least 20 points in 23 of 26 games this season. She had six 30-point games this year and a career-high 40-point performance against Virginia Tech on Jan. 2. Latson became the fastest player in Florida State basketball history to score 2,000 points this season and picked up her third All-ACC First Team selection. She’s also a finalist for the Ann Meyers Drysdale Award.
7. Aneesah Morrow, LSU
2024-25 stats: 18.2 PPG, 14 RPG, 1.4 APG, 2.5 SPG, 48.5 FG%, 27.6 3PT% (30 games)
6. Madison Booker, Texas
2024-25 stats: 16 PPG, 6.5 RPG, 2.9 APG, 1.6 SPG, 46.4 FG%, 41.7 3PT% (30 games)
Texas earned the No. 1 ranking in the latest USA TODAY Sports Coaches Poll, in large part thanks to Booker’s sophomore campaign. The 6-foot-1 forward recorded 20 or more points in 11 games this season and increased her efficiency from the 3-point line, improving from 30.6% beyond the arc to 41.7% this season. Texas may have lost the No. 1 seed in the SEC tournament to South Carolina by way of a coin toss, but the Longhorns head into the postseason with lots of momentum after six straight wins against ranked opponents, including South Carolina, LSU and Kentucky. Booker averaged 21.5 points per game during that span and was named the SEC’s Player of the Year. The Longhorns will be looking to improve on their Elite Eight finish last year.
5. Lauren Betts, UCLA
2024-25 stats: 19.7 PPG, 9.9 RPG, 2.7 APG, 2.8 BPG, 62.4 FG% (26 games)
The 6-foot-7 center is a dominant force in the paint and was unanimously named the Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year after setting UCLA’s single-season blocks record (73). She also broke the university’s single-game blocks record with nine blocked shots in UCLA’s win over Baylor on Jan. 20. Betts is averaging a career-high 2.8 blocks per game, the most in the conference, and her 9.9 rebounds per game marks a career-high. She had 16 double-doubles this season. UCLA ended the season with a disappointing 80-67 loss to USC, where Betts was held to 11 points and 11 rebounds on her home court, but the Bruins will attempt to shake off the thumping and make it further than their Sweet 16 finish in last year’s NCAA Tournament.
4. Olivia Miles, Notre Dame
2024-25 stats: 16.5 PPG, 6.1 RPG, 5.9 APG, 50.9 FG%, 41.6 3PT% (29 games)
Miles missed the entire 2023-24 season due to a knee injury, but made a statement in her first game back with a 20-point, 10-rebound and 10-assist triple-double to open the season on Nov. 4. She became the first player in ACC history to record back-to-back triple-doubles a month later against Loyola and Virginia. Miles’ three triple-doubles lead the nation. The floor general also leads the ACC in assists per game (5.9). Notre Dame stumbled to the finish line, dropping back-to-back games to NC State and Florida State in late February, but expect Miles to dazzle in her first NCAA Tournament since 2023.
3. Hannah Hidalgo, Notre Dame
2024-25 stats: 24.2 PPG, 5.3 RPG, 3.8 APG, 3.7 SPG, 46.4 FG%, 40.1 3PT% (27 games)
Notre Dame’s backcourt has been the best in women’s basketball all season long, so you can’t have Miles on the list of best players without also having her partner-in-crime. Hidalgo is the third-leading scorer in the nation at 24.2 points per game and ranks fourth in the country in steals (3.7 per game). Hidalgo was named the ACC’s Player of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year (for the second consecutive season), becoming only the third player in ACC history to win both in the same season.
2. Paige Bueckers, UConn
2024-25 stats: 18.6 PPG, 5.0 APG, 4.5 RPG, 53.4 FG%, 40.8 3PT% (29 games)
The 2025 WNBA draft isn’t called the Paige Bueckers sweepstakes for nothing. Bueckers burst onto the scene in 2021 with a breakout freshman campaign that earned her AP Player of the Year and Naismith College Player of the Year honors. Although a string of injuries forced Bueckers to miss significant time, including the entire 2022-23 season with an ACL tear, the fifth-year senior guard has returned to form and is looking to lead the Huskies to the Final Four for the fourth time in her career. Bueckers is currently UConn women’s basketball’s sixth all-time leading scorer with 2,223 points and is widely expected to be the No. 1 overall pick of the draft.
1. JuJu Watkins, USC
2024-25 stats: 24.4 PPG, 6.7 RPG, 3.6 APG, 42.9 FG%, 33.9 3PT% (28 games)
Watkins cemented herself as the best player in women’s college basketball with a dominant 30-point performance in USC’s 80-67 win over rival UCLA to claim the regular-season title and No. 1 seed in the Big Ten Conference tournament. She went on to be named Big Ten Player of the Year for good reason. Watkins became the fastest USC player to reach 1,000 career points (38 games) in November and has the Trojans primed for a run at the national championship after winning eight straight games against ranked opponents, including UConn, UCLA and Maryland. Did we mention she’s only a sophomore?
Honorable Mentions
LSU G Flau’Jae Johnson: 18.9 PPG, 5.8 RPG, 2.4 APG, 46.5 FG%, 37.2 3PT% (30 games)
TCU C Sedona Prince: 17.6 PPG, 9.4 RPG, 2.3 APG, 3.1 BPG, 59.2 FG% (30 games)
South Carolina G Te-Hina Paopao: 10.2 PPG, 2.7 RPG, 3.0 APG, 45.7 FG%, 38.2 3PT% (30 games)
Kansas State G Serena Sundell:13.5 PPG, 4.6 RPG, 7.1 APG, 48.8 FG%, 29.7 3PT% (31 games)
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