Frontrunners and contenders for NCAA women's basketball awards

January 13, 2025 10:45 AM ET

Last season, Caitlin Clark was a runaway train for women's college basketball's National Player of the Year. By mid-2024-25 it will be more like four locomotives converging on the station at the same time.

If you want suspense, we've got it: Three of the team's top-10 guards and one center are all vying for the best individual player in the country.

A sophomore leads the race, but many don’t think he’s the leader. Notre Dame's Hannah Hidalgo leads USC's JuJu Watkins, last season's Freshman of the Year.

The two second-year stars met in November, with the Irish beating USC 74-61 behind Hidalgo's 24 points and eight assists and Watkins' 24 points and five assists. .

Hidalgo ranks second in Division I in scoring and steals; she has scored more than 25 points in eight games for ACC-leading Notre Dame (5-0). Watkins ranks third in scoring, also scoring 25 or more points in eight games. The Trojans went 6-0 in their first season in the league and topped the Big Ten.

Trying to argue between Hidalgo and Watkins is fascinating enough. But UConn guard Paige Bueckers — the nation’s top freshman in 2021 and a potential No. 1 pick in April’s WNBA draft — and UCLA center Lauren Lauren Betts — who leads the No. 1 Bruins (16, 0 overall, 5-0 Big Ten) — is also in contention.

How did the top four perform? Who are the leading candidates for freshman, transfer and coach of the year awards? ESPN's Kendra Andrews, Charlie Creme, Alexa Philippou and Michael Voepel make their picks on the road to the NCAA Tournament.

Hannah Hidalgo makes incredible shots up and down

Hannah Hidalgo scored a highlight-reel goal for the Fighting Irish when she double-clutched in the air for a layup.

player of the year

Andrews: Hannah Hidalgo, Notre Dame
cream: Hannah Hidalgo, Notre Dame
Philip: Hannah Hidalgo, Notre Dame
Vopel: Hannah Hidalgo, Notre Dame

Hidalgo is one of the most feared one-on-one perimeter defenders in the country and one of the best scorers. Her performance against that time. After Game 3 against USC in November, he had two standout performances against top-five teams: an 80-70 overtime win over Texas on Dec. 5 , scored 30 points, 8 rebounds and 4 assists; on December 5, he scored 29 points, 10 rebounds, 8 assists and 3 steals. On December 12, the team defeated the University of Connecticut 79-68.

Hidalgo has adjusted well to the return of point guard Olivia Myers but missed Sunday at Notre Dame for precautionary reasons after spraining his right ankle in a Jan. 9 win over Wake Forest. First game in college. The Irish tied their season low with 67 points but still defeated Clemson by nine points.

Hidalgo's field goal percentage increased to 50.4% from last season, and his three-point shooting percentage increased to 45.8%. Her long-range shooting has her averaging 2.5 three-pointers per game, compared to 1.4 last year. This season, she averaged 25.7 points, 6.0 rebounds, 3.7 assists and 4.1 steals per game. — Vopel

Top Challengers (in order)

JuJu Watkins, University of Southern California: Watkins has impressed in the follow-up to her historic freshman season. Her shooting percentage improved (44.4% from the field), she created more offensive opportunities for her teammates, she committed fewer turnovers, and her defense improved (4.3 steals and blocks), making her a A more complete player. She's also on track to break Clark's NCAA scoring record.

Hidalgo and Notre Dame performed better than Watkins and USC in November. But Watkins was outstanding in the Trojans' wins over the Bucs and Huskies last month. Moments like this have a huge impact on the Player of the Year discussion. — andrews

JuJu Watkins scores 35 points to lead USC past Penn State

JuJu Watkins had a stellar performance in USC's win over Penn State, scoring 35 points, 3 assists and 11 rebounds.

Paige Bueckers, University of Connecticut: She's not the current front-runner, but Bueckers' performance was impressive. She continues to be a symbol of efficiency, with an effective field goal percentage of 62.8%, a career-high. The Big East isn't very strong this year, but the Bucs' biggest games came in nonconference games, including 29 points against Mississippi State and North Carolina. In UConn's two losses to USC and Notre Dame, she shot 20-for-42 from the field and averaged 23.5 points (albeit 2-for-12 from 3-point range).

Bueckers has missed the past two games with a sprained knee but is expected to return this week. She is 18 points shy of 2,000 career points and is on track to reach that threshold faster than any player in UConn history. — Philip

Lauren Bates, UCLA: The teenage center transformed the Bruins from a Sweet 16 team to the No. 1 team in the country. Betts is reliable and consistent, scoring in double figures in every game this season. She had a low of 11 points in UCLA's win over South Carolina, but also added 14 rebounds, four assists and four blocks. Cori Close, who runs the Bruins' offense through Betts, ranks her coach as the sixth-most efficient player in the country, according to HerHoopsStats.com. The 6-foot-6 Bates also plays defense, ranking second in the country in opponent field goal percentage. — cream

Sarah Strong steals and scores UConn

Sarah Strong travels across the country to watch the Huskies take on the Hoyas.

Freshman of the Year

Andrews: Sarah Strong, University of Connecticut
cream: Sarah Strong, University of Connecticut
Philip: Sarah Strong, University of Connecticut
Vopel: Sarah Strong, University of Connecticut

Strong was the No. 1-ranked recruit when she signed with UConn and continued to exceed expectations at Storrs, joining Brianna Stewart and Maia who had less than 20 games into their college careers. Moore compared. What stands out most is her game sense and versatility on both ends of the floor. Her three-point shooting (35 percent) and passing (3.6 assists per game) give her guard-like qualities. She averaged 17.2 points per game – shooting 57% from the field! Strong ranks second on the team behind Bueckers, and Strong leads the Huskies in every metric with 7.9 rebounds, 2.4 steals and 1.1 blocks per game. She has proven herself to be the most talented frontcourt player Geno Auriemma has had in years.

Strong and Bueckers are one of the best duos in the country, and the freshman is UConn's next big star and is already a top player in the country. — Philip

freshmen team

Mikaela Blakes, Vanderbilt University, guard
Jaloni Cambridge, Ohio State, guard
Joyce Edwards, South Carolina, forward
Sarah Strong, University of Connecticut, forward
Syla Swords, Michigan State, guard

Coach of the Year

Andrews: Neil Ivey, Notre Dame
cream: Neil Ivey, Notre Dame
Philip: Corey Close, UCLA
Vopel: Neil Ivey, Notre Dame

Notre Dame's wins over UConn and USC are two great examples of the caliber of Ivey's basketball program this season. Not only did the Irish defeat these high-level opponents, they also won both games by double-digit margins. Their offense was virtually undefended, with the third-ranked Irish shooting 43.8% from three-point range, the best mark in the ACC and the nation. Much of this goes back to Ivey's development of Hidalgo and Olivia Myers, arguably the best backcourt in college basketball.

Expectations were high for Notre Dame entering the season, but the foundation Ivey has now built solidifies the Irish as national champions. — andrews

Biggest challenger: Cori Close, UCLA

UCLA has been the second team in the NCAA Tournament for many years. But that looks set to change with the Bruins this season, who remain undefeated and are the best team of Close's tenure in Westwood. UCLA has been the No. 1 team in the nation since beating South Carolina in late November, with Close leading star players Lauren Betts and Kiki Rice. Kiki Rice) further rose to prominence. her career. Through recruiting (including international recruiting) and work in the transfer portal, Close has constructed a roster with few flaws and is playing like it's the last team in Tampa. — Philip

Armor on how No. 15 Kentucky gelled quickly

Georgia Amoore joined SEC Now after her 18-point performance to talk about the Wildcats' immediate success under a new coach and multiple transfers.

Full transfer team

Georgia Armor, Kentucky, guard
Regan Beals, Oklahoma State, forward
Kiki Iriafen, USC, forward
Hailey Van Lith, TCU, guard
Liatu King, Notre Dame, forward

Top transfer: Georgia Armor, Kentucky

This is the most competitive category of all these awards. Armor narrowly earned the nomination due to her performance at the point guard position and what she meant to Kentucky's transformation. She moved to Lexington with former Virginia Tech coach Kenny Brooks to relaunch the program. And she did it without the help that other candidates had. Iriafen plays with JuJu Watkins; Beal and King join experienced teams at Oklahoma and Notre Dame respectively; Van Lith teams with Sedona Prince at TCU.

But Amore is one of 11 new players at Kentucky, which has a combined 24-38 record the past two seasons, ranking 12th and 14th in the SEC. Now, the Wildcats are 15-1 and 4-0 in conference play, their best start in the SEC since the 2012-13 season, and Amore is their leading scorer and No. The unquestioned leader. She also ranks second nationally in assists per game. — cream

All-American

Our top four National Player of the Year picks made the All-American First Team, but who finished fifth? It was a close game, with LSU's Aneesah Morrow leading Division I with 16 doubles, Florida State's Ta'Niya Latson Leads the nation in scoring with 27.7 points per game. Moreau, a senior, got the nod.

Lauren Bates, UCLA, Center
Paige Bueckers, UConn, guard
Hannah Hidalgo, Notre Dame, guard
Aneesah Morrow, LSU, forward
JuJu Watkins, USC, guard