# Ranking 10 best women's college basketball players entering March Madness

Women's College Basketball



## Ranking top 10 players in women's college basketball ahead of March Madness

March Madness is approaching and the women's field is wide open. Who are the top 10 players in the game?

### 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 (in 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 South Carolina, LSU and Kentucky. Did we mention she's still a sophomore?

### 7. Hannah Hidalgo, Notre Dame

**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 Notre Dame 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.

### 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 seed in the SEC tournament and Big Ten conference finals, where she recorded 10 points, 4 rebounds, and 2 assists. Texas ended the season with a 77-61 record and has always finished in the SEC's top five in scoring, rebounding, and points per game. 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%, 41.6 3PT% (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 California on Jan. 10. Betts became the fastest UCLA player to reach 1,000 career points (in 13 games) in December and has the Bruins primed to take down conference rivals to reach the Final Four. Betts has logged 30 points in the past 10 games, including two double-doubles against North Carolina and Connecticut. UCLA ended the season with a 52-21 record and has been ranked No. 11 in the nation and No. 1 in the Pac-12 conference.

### 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 she made a statement in her first game back with a 20-point, 10-rebound, and 10-assist triple-double in the Big Ten tournament semifinals against Illinois. She became the first Notre Dame player to record 10 points, 10 rebounds, and 10 assists in a Big Ten tournament game since 1999. Miles led the Notre Dame offense in scoring, rebounding, and points per game, and her average of 19.2 points per game during that span was the second-highest among all Big Ten teams. Notre Dame ended the season with a 41-37 record and has been ranked No. 10 in the nation and No. 1 in the Pac-12 conference.

### 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 Pac-12 conference tournament. She went on to be named AP and Pac-12 Player of the Year due to her performance against UCLA and other top teams in the conference. Watkins became the fastest USC player to reach 1,000 career points (in 14 games) in the spring of 2022 and has the Bruins primed to make it further than their Sweet 16 finish in the 2023-24 season.

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