Predictions for every women's basketball conference champ and player of the year
From the ACC to the WCC, here are the front-runners and favorites for player of the year for all 32 leagues.
USC Trojans
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More USC news
- UConn's Strong, USC's Watkins headline preseason AP All-America women's teamUConn's Sarah Strong and USC's JuJu Watkins, who have won The Associated Press Player of the Year award the past two years, headline the preseason AP All-America women's college basketball team released Thursday.
- South Carolina opens No. 1 in AP preseason poll, with UConn second and JuJu Watkins' USC thirdThe Gamecocks took 23 first-place votes from a 31-member media panel, and Duke and Michigan round out the top five.
- Breaking down the women's college basketball national player of the year raceJuJu Watkins is back. But so is Sarah Strong and other player of the year contenders. We handicap the race.
- Breaking down the women's 2026-27 AP preseason Top 25 basketball pollThe first poll of the 2026-27 season is here. We look at the projected starters and biggest game for each team.
- Women's college basketball 2026-27 freshman impact rankingsUNC's Kate Harpring leads the group, while two USC freshmen will slot well into a loaded roster.
- Women's college basketball 2026-27 preseason top 25 rankingsWatkins' USC starts at No. 3 behind South Carolina and UConn, while reigning champ UCLA opens at No. 13.
- USC's JuJu Watkins expects to be 'smarter player' after ACL layoffUSC star JuJu Watkins says she's learned a lot about "patience" during her long layoff from an ACL injury and expects to be a "smarter player" when the Trojans' season tips off in early November.
- Reranking top class of 2024 women's basketball recruitsSarah Strong remains No. 1, and a previously unranked recruit vaults into the top 15 of our rankings redo.
- Why JuJu Watkins is a player to watch this season
- Players Era women's hoops showcase to feature 7-figure NIL poolThe 2026 Players Era Women's Basketball Showcase -- which includes expected preseason top-10 squads South Carolina, USC, Texas and Duke -- will feature a seven-figure NIL pool, one of the largest in women's college sports history.
- Women's college basketball recruiting: Top 25 players regardless of classKaleena Smith is the best high school player in the country. Which 2027, 2028 and 2029 prospects join her? Plus, college recruiting updates.