play2:13Reliving Hannah Hidalgo’s highlight-reel 2024-25 seasonRelive some of Hannah Hidalgo’s top highlights for Notre Dame during the 2024-25 season.
Reliving Hannah Hidalgo’s highlight-reel 2024-25 seasonRelive some of Hannah Hidalgo’s top highlights for Notre Dame during the 2024-25 season.
A sophomore stood atop ESPN’s top 25 players list heading into the 2025 women’s NCAA tournament, as she had for most of last season. But USC guard JuJu Watkins suffered a knee injury in the second round that ended her postseason early and will force her to miss all of the 2025-2026 season.
With Watkins out, a sophomore this season has once again moved to the head of the class: UConn forward Sarah Strong, who helped lead the Huskies to the program’s 12th NCAA title in April. Another sophomore is also in the top 10: Vanderbilt guard Mikayla Blakes, one of nine players in our preseason rankings who helped Team USA win a gold medal in July at the FIBA AmeriCup competition.
UConn is the only team with two players in the top 10 of these preseason rankings, with senior guard Azzi Fudd joining Strong. Some big names on this list are playing in new places, such as Olivia Miles, the former Notre Dame guard now at TCU, and guard Ta’Niya Latson, who transferred to South Carolina from Florida State. Fudd, Miles and Latson could all be lottery picks in the 2026 WNBA draft.
ESPN’s Michael Voepel, Charlie Creme and Kendra Andrews rank the 25 best women’s college basketball players entering the 2025-26 campaign — which does not include any freshmen, though they have a chance to play their way in as the rankings are updated through the season.
Reliving Hannah Hidalgo’s highlight-reel 2024-25 season
Relive some of Hannah Hidalgo’s top highlights for Notre Dame during the 2024-25 season.
An All-SEC first-team member as a freshman, Edwards led a balanced South Carolina attack in scoring last season, despite starting only one game. She shot 52.9% from the field and became an even bigger presence inside after a season-ending injury to Ashlynn Watkins in January. Edwards was named to the all-tournament team at the Final Four after the Gamecocks’ championship loss to UConn. And in AmeriCup competition over the summer, she was the third-leading scorer (9.9 PPG) for Team USA. — Voepel
Because Virginia hasn’t made the NCAA tournament or even had a winning ACC record since 2018, Johnson’s first two seasons in Charlottesville have flown under the radar despite her being one of the conference’s most productive players. She averaged 17.7 points in ACC play as a freshman and 17.3 last season. She tied for the top spot in the ACC in assists per game and was among the league’s most accurate 3-point shooters (38.4%). And she was second on the Cavaliers in rebounding. — Creme
The Bruins adjusted well to their first season in the Big Ten, winning the league tournament title over city rival USC and then making the Final Four. Rice was a big part of it as the Bruins’ second-leading scorer, shooting career bests from the field (48.5%) and from long range (36.5%). She was also the team and conference leader in total assists (170), surpassing the 100 mark for a third consecutive season. — Andrews
Despite earning SEC Sixth Player of the Year honors in her sophomore season at South Carolina, Fulwiley got buried a bit in the rotation due to how many guard options the Gamecocks had. Now at LSU — which also has a stacked roster — Fulwiley expects to have more opportunities. A momentum-shifting guard, she will get a chance to start alongside Flau’jae Johnson and Mikaylah Williams, who could prove to be a lethal trio. — Andrews
Cooper played for South Carolina as a freshman in 2022-23 then transferred to Tennessee outside of the portal window, which forced her to sit out 2023-24. But the wait was worth it, and she became one of the SEC’s top players last season. She led the Lady Vols in scoring and the SEC in steals (3.1 SPG), making the league’s all-defensive team. She also shot 50.9% from 2-point range, but 26.7% from behind the arc, so that’s an area she will look to improve. — Voepel
Overshadowed by the scoring explosions of Blakes last year, Pierre still put up huge numbers for the Commodores. She was fourth in the SEC in scoring, third in rebounding and second in steals. An excellent finisher at the rim, Pierre helped fuel her former team’s transition game. Her new team likes to play fast. With a solid group of guards, Pierre should have those same opportunities in the ACC. — Creme
Paige Bueckers and Azzi Fudd got more attention last season, but Strong’s excellence was just as important to UConn’s national championship run. Her play got better in the NCAA tournament, averaging 19.0 points and 11.7 rebounds in the Huskies’ six games. A quiet, business-like approach serves Strong well, so as good as she was as a freshman, it appears her best days are ahead. With other numbers such as 2.3 steals and 1.7 blocks per game, plus 38.8% 3-point shooting, it’s hard to find a weakness in her game. — Charlie Creme
A top contender for national player of the year, Betts led her Bruins to the No. 1 spot in the AP Top 25 rankings for the first time in school history last season and then got them to the program’s first Final Four of the NCAA era before losing to UConn in the national semifinals. As a junior, Betts became the first UCLA player to record at least 600 points, 300 rebounds and 100 blocks in a season. She also broke UCLA’s single-game blocks record with nine and set a new career high in points with 33 — one of four games where she scored at least 30. Betts could be a lottery pick in the 2026 WNBA draft. — Kendra Andrews
She burst onto the scene as an electrifying freshman in 2023-24. Then she followed it up last season as the ACC’s Player of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year for the Irish, who lost in the Sweet 16. With fellow guard Olivia Miles transferring to TCU, expect Hidalgo to return to a similar assist average (5.5) as she had her first season, when Miles was out with an injury. Hidalgo is well-known for her defense, having averaged 4.2 steals in her previous two seasons. In the AmeriCup tournament this summer, she averaged 12.4 points, 4.6 assists and 3.1 steals. — Michael Voepel
As a sophomore, Booker helped the Longhorns win a share of the SEC regular-season title in their first year in the league and reach the Final Four for the first time since 2003. She shot 46.4% from the field and 40.3% from 3-point range, to go with 2.7 assists. She followed that strong season by playing for Team USA in the AmeriCup. Booker has scored 1,231 points, the fourth most of any Texas player through two seasons. A repeat of that for her last two years in college will get Booker close to the school career record of 1980s Longhorn legend Annette Smith-Knight (2,523). — Andrews
As well-rounded on the court as she is off it with her music career, Johnson is a player that Kim Mulkey has been able to plug into multiple roles. And she has thrived in each of them. Whether a scorer, primary perimeter defender or playmaker from the wing or the point of attack — Johnson will be asked to do all three this season. Integral to LSU’s 2023 national championship as a freshman, she has gotten better, setting career highs in points and 3-point shooting last season. She also was on the AmeriCup team this summer and will be in the WNBA draft lottery mix. — Creme
Miles could have gone to the WNBA in April. Instead, she opted to stay in college and spend her last season at TCU, which ended her Notre Dame team’s season in the Sweet 16 in March. Miles relishes the chance to play in the Horned Frogs’ pick-and-roll system — she will have several big post players to work with — while still benefitting from NIL deals. She has said she will be more ready for the WNBA after this final year of college. She too had a strong summer, averaging 6.9 points, 5.3 rebounds and a team-high 7.1 assists in Team USA’s AmeriCup championship run. — Voepel
South Carolina’s top scorer last season (Joyce Edwards) averaged 12.7 points. Latson nearly doubled that at Florida State as the nation’s leading scorer. Her decision to finish her career in Columbia almost certainly changes the Gamecocks’ offensive approach. Dawn Staley has a bona fide shotmaker in her backcourt who she can turn to for a bucket when one is needed. Latson improved significantly last season as a 3-point shooter (27.0% to 34.3%) and averaged a career-high 4.6 assists. That version of Latson should thrive even more with the talent surrounding her at South Carolina. — Creme
Due to injuries, Fudd played just 15 games in 2022-23 and two games in 2023-24. So last season was a big relief for her and UConn, when she played 34 games and averaged 26.4 minutes for the national champ. Fudd also had the best 3-point shooting percentage of her UConn career (43.6%, 79 of 181). Her 24 points in the NCAA final against South Carolina helped earn her Final Four Most Outstanding Player honors. With Paige Bueckers now in the WNBA, Fudd’s perimeter shooting is likely to be even more highlighted by the Huskies. — Voepel
As the No. 8 recruit in the country two years ago, much was expected of Blakes coming into college. But no one expected two 50-plus point games, the nation’s eighth-highest scoring average and national freshman of the year honors. Blakes was an elite scorer from the moment her college career began and remained consistent throughout her freshman campaign; only once did Blakes not hit double figures. And she did it in the SEC, where players don’t normally reach this level so soon. Blakes was also the first freshman to win conference player of the week honors since Tennessee’s Candace Parker in 2006. And this summer, she was Team USA’s leading scorer (14.0 PPG) in the AmeriCup tournament. — Creme
Crooks is one of the most dominant interior players in the nation. Last season, she set the Iowa State single-season records for scoring (820 points) and made field goals (329) while leading the Big 12 in scoring. The 2024-25 Cyclones had extremely high expectations, but early struggles set them up for a subpar season, including dropping out of the rankings and falling to Baylor in the Big 12 tournament quarterfinals. Crooks returns for her junior year with a deep roster and even more developed talent to set her up for another big season. She also said the AmeriCup tournament, where she didn’t get a lot of playing time for Team USA, has fueled her. — Andrews