Millions were introduced to women’s college basketball megastars last March, when Iowa’s Caitlin Clark and the Hawkeyes stormed the Final Four but LSU and Angel Reese flexed to take home the national championship.
Ratings and apparel explosions since the landmark moment for the Lady Tigers indicate popularity of the sport is still climbing.
A stellar class of freshman made their mark in the regular season and are destined to be tomorrow’s headliners with strong showings in the postseason.
Passive fans set to re-engage during the 2024 NCAA Tournament can check out the top players during conference tournament week. Field Level Media offers a get-to-know-you glance at Clark and eight others to watch this week.
Cameron Brink, Stanford: The Pac-12 Player of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year for the third consecutive season, Brink led college basketball in blocks (3.6 per game) and was fifth in rebounding (11.9 per game). She had 16 double-doubles and closed the regular season with dominant games in her home state of Oregon last week. She pulled down 24 rebounds and scored 25 points in the Feb. 29 win over then-No. 11 Oregon State.
Paige Bueckers, UConn: The 2021 National Player of the Year returned to the court with a vengeance after missing all of last season and most of 2021-22. She has the Huskies in contention even without many of her talented teammates in the fold due to injuries. Bueckers averages 20.8 points per game but is top two on her team in virtually every major statistical category. If UConn is to win a fourth consecutive conference tournament, trust Bueckers’ fingerprints to be all over the trophy game. With senior forward Aaliyah Edwards to help carry the load, the Huskies aren’t out of the mix for a national title run.
Caitlin Clark, Iowa: Clark’s scoring prowess has been well documented. But really watch the basketball prowess of one of the most skilled women’s players in the world. The 32.3 points (No. 1 in the nation), 8.7 assists (No. 1 in the nation) and 7.3 rebounds averaged per game in the regular season might be all the data needed to encourage a widening audience to tune into the Big Ten tournament in Minneapolis (a first-time sellout). In the 2023 tournament title game, Clark ripped Ohio State for 30 points, 17 assists and 10 rebounds.
Nuance in her game goes far beyond scoring. We awe at the range, logo 3s — she also led college basketball with 5.2 made 3s per game — and snap shot release. Opposing coaches point out her step-ahead off-ball movement to create space and the uncanny ability to see the entire floor at any game pace. Clark has contributed to sellout crowds on her way to becoming the top scorer in college basketball history.
Kamilla Cardoso, South Carolina: One of the most decorated players, the former ACC co-Defensive Player of the Year at Syracuse and the SEC 6th Woman of the Year for the Gamecocks last season, Cardoso was SEC Defensive Player of the Year. With 133 blocks the past two seasons, the 6-foot-7 Brazilian stands as a punishing presence in the paint for undefeated South Carolina.
Hannah Hidalgo, Notre Dame: The 5-6 Hidalgo might be the player opponents loathe seeing up close the most. The leader in steals this season, Hidalgo averages 4.6 per game and has heard opponents tell teammates they won’t bring the ball up if Hidalgo is guarding them. She was described by Notre Dame coach Niele Ivey as a “gamechanger” who is impossible to take out of games because of the tone she sets as a stopper. Hidalgo has already delivered memorable moments for the Irish. She scored 34 points with 10 rebounds and six assists in a blowout of UConn, with Paige Bueckers going 5 of 17 from the field.
Elizabeth Kitley, Virginia Tech: Three-time ACC Player of the Year Kitley is an unknown for the conference tournament quarterfinals Friday because of a left leg injury. The all-time leader in points in rebounds for the Hokies, she’s the literal and figurative big reason Virginia Tech has a shot at returning to the Final Four. But the Hokies lost back-to-back games entering the tournament in Greensboro and Kitley was in tears on the bench Sunday after her knee appeared to buckle on a layup at Virginia. She had eight 30-point games in the regular season and 18 points, 12 rebounds and seven blocks in the national semifinal loss to LSU in the 2023 Final Four.
Angel Reese, LSU: Her total production and playing time are down slightly from last season when the Tigers cut down the nets, but Reese hasn’t tempered her championship-level intensity or competitive spirit since an early season benching by head coach Kim Mulkey. Reese played in only 17 games in the regular season but was second in the country in rebounding (13 per game) and averaged 19.4 points. She’s comfortable and confident on the biggest stage and is carrying herself like a player with more to prove. Coaches placed Reese on the All-SEC first team and All-SEC defensive team.
JuJu Watkins, USC: She’s coming to the Big Ten next season just as Clark vacates to the NBA. The Pac-12 Freshman of the Year was also on the All-Pac-12 team and finished second in the nation to Clark in scoring at 27.8 points per game. USC won nine of its final 10 games in a conference-game blitz headlined by Watkins going for 42 points (18 of 18 free throws) to beat Colorado, 87-81, to avenge a four-point loss in January. She also scored 51 points in USC’s only meeting with Stanford this season.
–Field Level Media