The 2025–26 women’s college basketball season is shaping up to feature one of the most competitive Player of the Year races in recent memory. Unlike past seasons that had a clear frontrunner like Caitlin Clark or JuJu Watkins, this time there’s no obvious favorite. Instead, the conversation is wide open, with a handful of elite players all making strong cases as they continue to reshape the landscape of women’s college basketball.

Women’s College Basketball Rankings: College Basketball’s Highest Individual Honor

1. Sarah Strong, UConn

Paige Bueckers may have claimed the Wade Trophy and Azzi Fudd may have walked away with Final Four Most Outstanding Player honors, but Sarah Strong’s impact for UConn last season can’t be overlooked. Game after game, she looked like the engine behind the Huskies’ success.

The trajectory is clear. She’s building toward becoming the next standout in UConn’s storied lineage, and this season could be the one where that growth is finally recognized with a POY award. Through UConn’s first 12 games of the 2025-26 season, Strong is averaging 18.3 points per game on 58.9% field goal shooting, 37% from three, and 86.2% from the free-throw line.

And she’s only going to improve. As Geno Auriemma said, “The average person has not seen half of what Sarah Strong has the capability of doing, and I’m hoping that as we get closer to tournament time, I can drag that out of her.”

2. Audi Crooks, Iowa State

Night after night, Audi Crooks has been a problem on the block, and this season she’s added new wrinkles to her game that make her even tougher to guard. The numbers tell part of the story. She leads all of Division I in scoring at a jaw-dropping 28.9 points per game, but the eye test might be even louder.

On December 12, Crooks pushed Iowa State Cyclones to an 11–0 start and etched her name into elite company, becoming one of the few players ever, alongside legends like LeBron James and Shaquille O’Neal, to score 30 points on at least 65 percent shooting in three straight games. So, the “Lady Shaq” nickname isn’t just for fun; once she catches the ball in the paint, defenses are usually cooked.

She was the first player this season to reach 300 points, has the longest active streak of scoring in double figures in the country, set Iowa State’s single-game scoring record with 47 against Indiana State, became the fastest player in program history to reach 1,000 career points in just 49 games, and somehow once dropped 43 points in only 20 minutes.

At this point, it’s not about stopping her. It’s about surviving the damage.

3. Lauren Betts, UCLA

Lauren Betts is a once-in-a-lifetime talent. You don’t see many 6-foot-7 centers from UCLA. She has a strong presence in the post, good skills on the perimeter, and strong defense. She was the best player on both ends of the court last season, scoring 20.2 points and grabbing 9.5 rebounds per game while shooting a scorching 64.8% from the field.

Betts also won the 2025 Naismith Women’s Defensive Player of the Year award and was the first UCLA women’s player to be named to the AP First Team All-American team.

This season, her numbers have fallen a bit since teams have gone after her relentlessly, but there is enough time for her to bounce back stronger than ever. She is currently averaging 15.2 points, 7.5 rebounds, and 3.1 assists with a 58.7% from the field.

4. Hannah Hidalgo, Notre Dame

One incredible performance by Hannah Hidalgo changed the conversation about who should be named Player of the Year. In Notre Dame’s 85-58 win over Akron on November 12, she scored 44 points and stole 16 balls, creating a new NCAA record for steals. The old record was 14. Her 44-point outburst is also the most points ever scored in a single game by Notre Dame.

She is currently averaging 25.1 points, 6.4 rebounds, and 5.1 assists on a 48.8% shooting from the field. She also recently recorded her second career triple-double with 30 points, 10 assists, and 13 steals.

Also, just a few days ago, in a game against the Morehead State Eagles on December 11, Hannah Hidalgo also became the only player in this century, across the NBA, WNBA, and Division I men’s and women’s basketball, to record 200+ points and 50+ steals in the first nine games of a season twice.

However, Notre Dame would have to pull off an incredible run for her to win the award eventually.

 5. Azzi Fudd, UConn

Azzi Fudd’s 2025–26 season has been all about the comeback, and the shot-making that made her special in the first place. After multiple seasons disrupted by injuries, she returned for a fifth year at UConn, determined to prove she could stay on the floor and take her game to another level. The results so far? About as good as it gets.

Fudd remains the best pure shooter in the country, but what’s stood out this season is how much more complete she’s become. She’s expanded her impact beyond just scoring, has shown she can take over games when the Huskies need it, and looks every bit like a future top WNBA Draft pick. Her performance against Michigan was a clear reminder of that, and it likely won’t be the last time we see her flip a game on her own.

Statistically, this has been the most efficient season of her career. She’s averaging a career-high 18.5 points per game while shooting 50.6% from three, 49.4% overall, and a perfect 100% at the free-throw line. That’s 50-40-90 territory.

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