Michael VoepelCloseMichael VoepelESPN Senior WriterMichael Voepel is a senior writer who covers the WNBA, women’s college basketball and other college sports. Voepel began covering women’s basketball in 1984, and has been with ESPN since 1996.Follow on XCharlie CremeCloseCharlie CremeESPN.comCharlie Creme projects the women’s NCAA tournament bracket for ESPN.com.Jan 15, 2026, 08:20 AM ET
UConn sophomore Sarah Strong topped ESPN’s preseason ranking of the 25 best players in women’s college basketball for 2025-26. She hasn’t budged since. The rest of the list? That has changed a lot.
Nine players make their debut on this midseason update. Freshmen weren’t considered for the preseason list, but two have earned spots now. Competition is intense, is why some players dropped from the rankings.
South Carolina leads the way with three players in our top 25, while UConn, LSU, Oklahoma, Texas and UCLA have two each. The SEC is the top conference, with 13 players appearing on the midseason list.
Things could look different again when we rank the players near the end of the regular season. But for now, here’s the breakdown of the top 25 players in the nation.
Booker, the reigning SEC player of the year, is averaging career highs in scoring, rebounding, steals (2.6) and field goal percentage (51.8). The only area in which she has slipped is 3-point shooting: She’s currently at 24.4% (10 of 41). When it comes to the mid-range game and getting to the rim, however, Booker is top notch. She’s also a strong playmaker for others, an 85.2% career free throw shooter and a crucial part of Texas’ defense. — Michael Voepel
Betts didn’t play as well offensively as she would have liked in November, scoring in single digits in three games against ranked teams. That included eight points in the Bruins’ lone loss, 76-65 to Texas on Nov. 26. But that’s in the rearview mirror; she has recorded double-doubles in six of UCLA’s last eight games. Her 18 points, 10 rebounds, 5 steals and 4 blocks in Jan. 11’s 83-61 victory at Nebraska showed how much she can impact a game. — Voepel
Crooks leads Division I in scoring average and is second in field goal percentage. She has three games of 40 or more points this season, including a school-record 47 against Indiana. Her lowest-scoring game, 17 points, came in Wednesday’s 68-62 loss at Colorado, Iowa State’s fourth defeat in a row. The Cyclones are now leaning on Crooks more than ever since two other starters, Addy Brown and Arianna Jackson, are sidelined by injuries. — Voepel
Harmon leads the Longhorns in assists and steals (2.9) and for the most part has been very reliable in keeping them on track in playing their crushing defensive style. Third in the SEC in assists per game, she became Texas’ career leader in that category earlier this season. But she is coming off her roughest outing of the season, as she was benched in the fourth quarter of the Longhorns’ only loss, Jan. 11 at LSU. We’ll see how that motivates her. — Voepel
The Tigers’ nonconference schedule was so weak, it’s only now in SEC play that we’re really seeing an accurate measure of how good they are. Johnson leads the team in scoring, and her current overall (51.0) and 3-point (44.8) shooting percentages are career bests. After the Tigers lost their first two SEC games, Johnson had a season-high 25 points to get them back on the winning track vs. Georgia. — Voepel
Whether at Oregon State in 2023-24 or Oklahoma for the past two seasons, Beers has been one of the nation’s most consistently productive post players. She’s averaging just over 17 points this year just like she did in the previous two, but is rebounding even better. So many of her defensive rebounds start the Sooners’ potent fast breaks. It has also led to more double-doubles — her 13 on the season were tied for most in the country entering Wednesday. — Creme
Flau’jae Johnson is ranked a little higher, but you could make the case that Williams has been the Tigers’ MVP so far. It speaks to how crucial both veteran guards are to LSU’s success. Williams had 20 points to lead the way in the Tigers’ biggest win so far, 70-65 over Texas on Jan. 11. She is their top 3-point shooter, hitting 45.2% (28 of 62) from behind the arc. — Voepel
One of the two freshmen to make this list, Davidson is also vying for the national freshman of the year award. She leads the Trojans in scoring, rebounding and blocks (2.6), and is tied for the lead in steals (1.8). At 10-6, USC is having a challenging season after back-to-back NCAA Elite Eight appearances, but Davidson is excelling. — Voepel
Last year Strack may have been the country’s most improved player, and that momentum has carried into her junior season. She is the focal point of the Wildcats’ offense, and her one-foot turnaround jumper is one of the most recognizable shots in the game. As the SEC’s second-leading shot blocker and fifth-leading rebounder, Strack can dominate inside but also be an occasional threat to step behind the 3-point line. — Creme
In the era of the transfer portal, Rice is a rarity — a player who has started all four years at one school. She has become the face of the Bruins in the most successful run in program history, and is also on pace to have her best season. Being able to share point guard duties with Charlisse Leger-Walker has helped Rice score more, and do it more efficiently. If the Bruins are to make a return trip to the Final Four, it will be on the back of Rice’s leadership. — Creme
McGill is second in the SEC in scoring and tied for sixth in steals (3.2). She has scored 30 or more points four times this season — including a career-best 38 against Chattanooga in November — and also has four games with 9 or more assists. She was on the SEC’s all-freshman team last season when she averaged 16.5 PPG. Florida is currently winless in the SEC, but McGill’s performances still stand out. — Voepel
Ohio State has a history of great guards, and Cambridge is the latest. Last week, she had a combined 69 points, 15 rebounds and 14 assists in road wins over Illinois and Maryland — she became the fourth player in Buckeyes history to score 40 or more in a game, with 41 against the Illini. She scored 33 points Wednesday in a 108-84 win over Penn State. Cambridge has scored in double figures in every game this season, and is shooting 51.9% from the field. — Voepel
Pick any statistical category and Strong has elite numbers in it. If she has a weakness, 1½ years of college basketball has yet to expose it. She is a dominant force with a fully formed skill set, yet she plays with a subtlety in which nothing is forced. Strong’s smooth 3-point shooting, soft touch in the lane and passing ability get most of the attention, but she is also the top-rated defensive player in the country, according to Her Hoop Stats. Entering the season as the favorite for player of the year, Strong has somehow managed to exceed expectations and widen the gap between her and the rest of the players on this list. The best player on the best team, she will be hard to unseat from the top spot. — Charlie Creme
Blakes hasn’t had any 50-point games yet, but the sophomore guard — who had two as a freshman — is averaging more points at a higher shooting percentage than she did a season ago (46.3%). And her legend continues to grow. Blakes’ 15 fourth-quarter points (out of a total of 32) helped Vanderbilt beat LSU earlier this month, the program’s first win over a top-five team in 17 years. The Commodores’ 17-0 start is their best since the 1992-93 season, when they went to the Final Four. So much of that is thanks to Blakes, who ranks third in the country in scoring and is tied for 11th in steals. — Creme
Fudd shot 43.6% from 3-point range last season, and she has been even better from behind the arc this season, at 48.2% (53 of 110). Like Strong, Fudd could put up even bigger numbers if the Huskies weren’t so balanced. The senior guard led the way in UConn’s only close game so far this season, scoring 31 points in a 72-69 win over Michigan in November. But as much as she is known as a sharpshooter, her defense is also a strength. She’s one of the favorites to be the No. 1 pick in the 2026 WNBA draft. — Voepel
Miles could have gone to the WNBA or finished her college career at Notre Dame last season. Instead, she found the perfect program for her skill set. Excelling in transition and in the pick and roll around which TCU builds its offense, Miles remains perhaps the most creative passer in the college game. She is ninth in the nation in assists and has four triple-doubles on the season. No one else in the country has more than one. Miles’ scoring has taken another jump, too, with career highs in points per game and shooting percentage. — Creme
Ranked second in the country in scoring, Hidalgo is on pace to be the only player in Division I to average more than 20 points per game in each of the last three seasons. She has taken on even more responsibility this season, after the departures of Notre Dame’s other four starters, and continues to flourish. Taking more shots per game than a year ago, she is shooting at a higher percentage (48.9%), all while continuing to be a menace on defense. She had the rare points-assists-steals triple-double against Bellarmine, and leads the country in the last category, with nearly two more per game than the next player. — Creme
Many great players have had their biggest improvement between their freshman and sophomore years. Edwards is no exception. Last year as a steady freshman she led a balanced South Carolina attack. This year she is its dominant force. Edwards is on pace to be the first Gamecocks player to finish the season averaging more than 20 points per game since A’ja Wilson in 2018. Not only is she scoring at a high level, she’s highly efficient with her shot selection and elite finishing skills. Her shooting percentage is 12th best in the country. — Creme
Few players can start a fast break with a defensive rebound and just as effectively finish at the rim at the other end of the floor like Pierre. In an inconsistent first half of the season for the Wolfpack, Pierre has been steady. She has scored in double figures in all but two games and leads NC State in scoring. Her average points per game is down from last season at Vanderbilt (20.4 PPG), but her shooting efficiency is up and she’s even more dominant on the boards, leading the ACC in rebounding. — Creme