EricSD
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ESPN's list. Really no surprise that Strong is #1, but Fudd #3 and Quinones #6. WOW. Any other team have a player on the list who comes off the bench? So glad Blanca is getting some national attention.
Ranking the 15 best players in the women's final 4
Sweet 16 ranking: 1
2025-26 stats: 18.6 PPG, 7.6 RPG, 59.4% FG
By any reasonable standard, a 21-point, seven-rebound performance in a regional final would be considered outstanding. Yet those were the numbers Strong put up against Notre Dame and it seemed like she was a bit off for much of Sunday's game. Strong has set the bar so high that a 6-for-13 shooting performance seems like an off day. Defensively, though, Strong was incredible in Fort Worth, Texas. She totaled 10 steals, five blocks and 16 defensive rebounds and was the catalyst in holding North Carolina and Notre Dame to 94 combined points. UConn scored that many points in a game on 10 occasions this season. Strong is the best defensive player in the country, and her play at that end of the floor might win the Huskies their 13th national title. -- Charlie Creme
Sweet 16 ranking: 4
2025-26 stats: 17.5 PPG, 3.1 APG, 45.5% 3FG
Fudd's shooting in the regionals (9-for-24) was representative of the entire UConn performance. Her 23 points in the two games fell well short of the 34 Fudd scored in Round 2 against Syracuse. But sometimes "when" is as important as "how many." Fudd scored eight of her 13 points against Notre Dame in the fourth quarter, preventing any thought of an Irish comeback. She also had five assists and three steals against Notre Dame. This is the same Fudd who was the Final Four Most Outstanding Player a year ago. In two games against South Carolina last season, she had 28 and 24 points. -- Charlie Creme
Sweet 16 ranking: 19
2025-26 stats: 10.9 PPG, 3.2 RPG, 54.1% FG
Nothing like having the second-highest-scoring game of your career in the biggest game of your career to date. The moment of a regional final was not too big for Quiñonez, and the game against Notre Dame might have gone quite differently had she not scored 20 points. Even more crucial to the outcome were the 14 points in the first half at a time when Sarah Strong and Azzi Fudd weren't at their best. The day might come when Quiñonez is UConn's best player, perhaps even the best player in the country. For now, though, she takes her spot behind the two veterans and has demonstrated she's ready when needed. -- Creme
Ranking the 15 best players in the women's final 4
1. Sarah Strong
Forward | 6-foot-2 | SophomoreSweet 16 ranking: 1
2025-26 stats: 18.6 PPG, 7.6 RPG, 59.4% FG
By any reasonable standard, a 21-point, seven-rebound performance in a regional final would be considered outstanding. Yet those were the numbers Strong put up against Notre Dame and it seemed like she was a bit off for much of Sunday's game. Strong has set the bar so high that a 6-for-13 shooting performance seems like an off day. Defensively, though, Strong was incredible in Fort Worth, Texas. She totaled 10 steals, five blocks and 16 defensive rebounds and was the catalyst in holding North Carolina and Notre Dame to 94 combined points. UConn scored that many points in a game on 10 occasions this season. Strong is the best defensive player in the country, and her play at that end of the floor might win the Huskies their 13th national title. -- Charlie Creme
3. Azzi Fudd
Guard | 5-11 | SeniorSweet 16 ranking: 4
2025-26 stats: 17.5 PPG, 3.1 APG, 45.5% 3FG
Fudd's shooting in the regionals (9-for-24) was representative of the entire UConn performance. Her 23 points in the two games fell well short of the 34 Fudd scored in Round 2 against Syracuse. But sometimes "when" is as important as "how many." Fudd scored eight of her 13 points against Notre Dame in the fourth quarter, preventing any thought of an Irish comeback. She also had five assists and three steals against Notre Dame. This is the same Fudd who was the Final Four Most Outstanding Player a year ago. In two games against South Carolina last season, she had 28 and 24 points. -- Charlie Creme
6. Blanca Quinones
Forward | 6-2 | FreshmanSweet 16 ranking: 19
2025-26 stats: 10.9 PPG, 3.2 RPG, 54.1% FG
Nothing like having the second-highest-scoring game of your career in the biggest game of your career to date. The moment of a regional final was not too big for Quiñonez, and the game against Notre Dame might have gone quite differently had she not scored 20 points. Even more crucial to the outcome were the 14 points in the first half at a time when Sarah Strong and Azzi Fudd weren't at their best. The day might come when Quiñonez is UConn's best player, perhaps even the best player in the country. For now, though, she takes her spot behind the two veterans and has demonstrated she's ready when needed. -- Creme
