Super stars like JuJu Watkins and Paige Bueckers led the talented list of must-watch players this season.
For the last two seasons, headlines focused on Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese as women’s college basketball continued to surge in interest and viewership. With both stars now doing the same in the WNBA, there’s no shortage of talent in college hoops.
If anything, that new attention gave fans the chance to see all they were missing.
Heading into a new season, which begins on Monday, the top 10 players in the nation stretch the spectrum of class. From freshman who made their presence known from day one to the freshman-turned-seniors who are taking back the spotlight dimmed by injury, there is plenty of talent to watch in what should be another exciting women’s hoops season.
We break down the 10 best players heading into the start of the season.
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10. Georgia Amoore | Kentucky Wildcats
23-24 Stats: 18.8 ppg, 6.8 apg, 2.6 rpg
When head coach Kenny Brooks left the Virginia Tech Hokies for the Kentucky Wildcats, point guard Georgia Amoore wasn’t too far behind.
Amoore led the Hokies to a Final Four run in 2023 and was even better in the 23-24 season. The guard had a career high 18.8 points and 6.8 assists, earning an AP All-American honor, playing alongside fellow All-American Elizabeth Kiley.
Amoore was as key to that duo as Kitley, and gives Brooks a strong foundation on both ends of the court heading into his first year trying to turnaround a Kentucky side that failed to make the NCAA Tournament in two straight seasons.
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9. Rori Harmon | Texas Longhorns
22-23 Stats: 11.2 ppg, 7.4 apg, 5.6 rpg
Last season, Rori Harmon suffered an ACL tear on Dec. 20 that took away the Longhorns’ leader out for the remainder of the season. Harmon is back, bringing a combination of three-level scoring and finding open teammates better than most point guards in the nation. In 12 games, Harmon was on her way to a career scoring and assist season, averaging 14.1 points and 7.8 assists.
Now, Harmon returns with another name on this top 10 list and Michigan Wolverines transfer Laila Phelia, meaning Texas is in the conversation for a deep tournament run.
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8. Lauren Betts | UCLA Bruins
23-24 Stats: 14.9 ppg, 9.3 rpg, 2.0 bpg
UCLA head coach Cori Close transferred Betts in from the Stanford bench and the 6-foot-7 center made the Bruins a squad to be reckoned with.
In her first season starting, Betts almost averaged a double-double with 14.9 points and 9.3 rebounds, plus two blocks per game. Now, Betts has a new challenge playing in the expanded Big Ten, going up against bigs like Iowa’s Hannah Stuelke, Illinois’ Kendall Bostic and Nebraska’s Alexis Markowski.
If Betts can shut them down, and improve on the offensive side of the ball, she’s in the conversation for her first AP All-American honor.
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7. Aneesah Morrow | LSU Tigers
23-24 Stats: 16.4 ppg, 10.0 rpg, 2.5 spg
In the summer of 2023, Aneesah Morrow was a top transfer target after wowing the nation in her sophomore season at DePaul. Head coach Kim Mulkey convinced Morrow to come to Baton Rouge, and Morrow lived up to the billing.
Sharing the stage with the likes of Reese and the next name on the list, Morrow still came up big when the Tigers needed it. In postseason play, Morrow averaged 15.1 points and 9.7 rebounds per game.
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6. Flau’jae Johnson | LSU Tigers
23-24 Stats: 14.9 ppg, 5.5 rpg, 2.1 spg
Playing alongside Morrow last season was the reigning SEC Freshman of the Year Flau’jae Johnson, who does it all. Johnson will come out of nowhere to intercept passes and force turnovers. On offense, Johnson’s methodical in the way the guard moves around defenders, pulls up for midrange jumpers or Euro steps around opponents inside the paint.
Now an upperclassmen, Johnson brings two years of experience including an NCAA Championship in 2023 and an Elite Eight berth in 2024.
Expect Johnson to make a jump this season into one of the best in the SEC.
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5. Kiki Iriafen | USC Trojans
23-24 Stats: 19.4 ppg, 11.0 rpg, 2.3 apg
It took Iriafen a few seasons, but the forward went from bench player for legendary Stanford coach Tara VanDerveer to a top player in the country.
Iriafen is the best inside threat in the country. Not only can the 6-foot-3 Iriafen go at defenders under the basket, but she can grab rebounds against elite opponents. Back in March, against Iowa State’s star Audi Crooks, Iriafen grabbed 16 rebounds and held Crooks to 10 points, nine points under her scoring average.
Offensively, Iriafen added 41 points in the overtime win to help Stanford advance to the Sweet 16. Now, Iriafen joins a USC team that will be in the conversation as a national title contender and that’s due in part to her move to Los Angeles.
4 . Madison Booker | Texas Longhorns
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23-24 Stats: 16.5 ppg, 5.0 rpg, 5.0 apg
With Harmon’s season-ending injury, Booker went from the No. 12 freshman recruit to a Big 12 Player of the Year.
The hybrid guard/forward played like a professional in her first collegiate season. Booker averaged 16.5 points, five rebounds and five assists per game and now adds Harmon and the aforementioned Phelia.
Booker’s supporting cast moves her from a conference player of the year into a potential National Player of the Year conversation under Texas coach Vic Schaefer.
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3. Hannah Hidalgo | Notre Dame Fighting Irish
23-24 Stats: 22.6 ppg, 5.5 apg, 4.6 spg
Like Booker, Hidalgo came into her school as a well-regarded freshman who played like an upperclassmen on a side marred with injury. Hidalgo’s small 5-foot-6 frame isn’t a weakness, she uses it to her advantage dribbling between defenders and not afraid to go in and take contact near the rim.
Defensively, as a freshman, the guard led the country in steals, averaging 4.6 per game.
It’s no surprise that almost any award Hidalgo was eligible for she won. Outside of ACC Player of the Year, Hidalgo won Freshman of the Year, Defensive Player of the Year, All-Freshman Team and only one of two freshman named First Team AP All-American.
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2. JuJu Watkins | USC Trojans
23-24 Stats: 27.1 ppg, 7.3 rpg, 3.3 apg
Choosing between JuJu Watkins and the No. 1 ranked player on this list is more than difficult. It’s practically a 1A and 1B situation.
Watkins showed poise from the moment she stepped onto an NCAA court. Last season, in an 83-74 win over a highly regarded defense of the Ohio State Buckeyes, Watkins scored 32 points and that was in a game where she was in foul trouble late. Despite having to sit, Watkins kept her composure and led the Trojans to their first win of many that season.
The guard led the Trojans to the Elite Eight for the first time since 1994, 11 years before Watkins was born. On the way to the Regional Final, Watkins was second in the nation in scoring with 27.1 points and added in 7.3 rebounds and 3.3 assists per game.
Watkins became the biggest name in women’s basketball in the city of Los Angeles since Candace Parker won Rookie of the Year and MVP with the Los Angeles Sparks of the WNBA in 2008, almost doing the same in the Pac 12 if not for Stanford’s Cameron Brink edging Watkins out for Pac 12 Player of the Year.
Now, Watkins takes her game to the Big Ten, where she replaces Caitlin Clark as the premier name in the conference.
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1. Paige Bueckers | UConn Huskies
23-24 Stats: 21.9 ppg, 5.2 rpg, 3.8 apg
Before there was Clark or Reese, there was Paige Bueckers — and she’s still here.
Bueckers hasn’t played a full season in three years, due to injuries. On the court, Bueckers, like Watkins, makes the game of basketball look too easy with an effortless style of play that almost looks like she sees the game in slow motion.
Because of injuries all around the Huskies’ program, Bueckers showed she can play wherever coach Geno Auriemma needs. Bueckers played, a more traditional guard role and even slid in as a power forward. Bueckers was everywhere and was pivotal in getting UConn to the Final Four, after beating Watkins and the Trojans in the Elite Eight.
Now, in what could be her final season, Bueckers brings her well-rounded game back to Storrs and back into the National Player of the Year running after winning it in 2021.
Throw in a healthy Azzi Fudd later in 2024 calendar year and No. 1 freshman recruit Sarah Strong and Bueckers has a chance to win her first National Championship at UConn.
