ESPN Top 25 women's NCAA basketball players ranked going into 2025-26

[broooce]

Top 25 women's NCAA basketball players ranked going into 2025-26

A sophomore heads the preseason Top 25 player rankings, which include multiple players from UConn, UCLA, LSU.

www.espn.com

UConn has #1 (Strong), #8 (Fudd) and #18 (Williams). UCLA has #'s 2, 14 & 17 and LSU with #'s 5, 12 & 19. The only three colleges with three in the top 25 according to ESPN.

SC and NC State have two on the list, the other 12 schools on this list have one player each.

Go Huskies!!

 

[DEpup]

Azzi at 8 is hilarious.....

 

[Stagnant]

Azzi at 8 is hilarious.....

the players ahead of her have all made all American teams.

 

[Bone Dog]

Azzi at 8 is hilarious.....

I get the undervaluing of Azzi. Her record is thin because of the injuries, and there’s also a natural bias against players perceived as being physically fragile. Paige had two seasons to overcome that perception of herself, but Azzi has only really put together one mostly healthy season. This is one of the things Azzi may hope to correct in the way people perceive her this season. A fully healthy season in which she leads the Huskies to a second NC, and one in which she is the clear leader of the team will go a long way to achieving that recognition we all think she deserves.

 

[Stagnant]

This sort of thing confirms one of the arguments Geno made to Azzi to convince her to return.

 

[Barkin Out]

I agree. I think she falls victim to people focusing on her shooting- which is a thing of beauty. But she’s become a lot more than that. As is always the case at UConn, she has worked hard under the coaches guidance to improve her defensive skills. To me she, she seems quicker and more explosive the further she gets from the knee injury. I thought she looked totally locked in on D and was disruptive during her last 3 outings (going back to the FF). Her stock will rise quickly this year as her reputation for all around game catches up with her performance. I noted that the top 3 in this list were praised for both their offensive and defensive impact- below that it was mostly offensive stats cited by the writers.

Out of PBs shadow- she’ll have her moment in the sun beginning next week! Go Azzi

 

[DEpup]

That's why I think it's just hilarious...I get that these things are all about perception and hype but IMO a healthy and confident Azzi is better than all of them. We've seen glimpses so far where she has decided to take over and score points in bunches. I'm really hoping we have a Maya/Tina conundrum with Azzi/Sarah this year where either one could be player of the year...

 

[EricLA]

Actually kind of surprised to see Williams on the list, and I think Fulwiley is too low. The numbers Fulwiley put up were coming off the bench and less minutes than she will likely get this season as a starter...

 

[ec33]

That's why I think it's just hilarious...I get that these things are all about perception and hype but IMO a healthy and confident Azzi is better than all of them. We've seen glimpses so far where she has decided to take over and score points in bunches. I'm really hoping we have a Maya/Tina conundrum with Azzi/Sarah this year where either one could be player of the year...

Last year -- leading up to the tournament -- was getting the rust off. You would have thought people noticed that Azzi was back during the Final Four.

From memory, I think she played more assertively when Paige is not on the floor (out with injury). Geno isn't going to let her just settle for spacing the floor and shooting 3's.

 

[bballnut90]

the players ahead of her have all made all American teams.

Plus Crooks and Blakes behind her who were All Americans last year

 

[Dillon77]

I'll be paying attention to three particular players on this list for varying reasons:

Transfers:

• Gianna Kneepkens will have the benefit of playing with a center (Lauren Betts) who will draw serious attention down low; and, Kiki Rice, a point guard who is adept at driving and dishing. This should allow Kneepkens the space to step into what is already a lethal jump shot.
• Yarden Garzon. Even though it's hard to believe, she really is a 6'3" guard or small forward (in the Bill Bradley sense of the word). Another great outside shooter. My question: will she do as well at Maryland with other players who like the ball? Teri Moren's system at IU distributed the ball and Garzon was often the recipient of that unselfishness.

and
- Maggie Doogan, the 6'2" forward from Pennsylvania who plays at Richmond. Love this player's game and the old school in me loves the idea that she decided to stay at the place that helped make her (probably giving up a nice NIL deal in the process). Can play inside, go outside and rebounds. Steady, but there's an intensity there that I think will bode well for her at the next level.

 

[jake0414]

I'll be paying attention to three particular players on this list for varying reasons:

Transfers:

• Gianna Kneepkens will have the benefit of playing with a center (Lauren Betts) who will draw serious attention down low; and, Kiki Rice, a point guard who is adept at driving and dishing. This should allow Kneepkens the space to step into what is already a lethal jump shot.
• Yarden Garzon. Even though it's hard to believe, she really is a 6'3" guard or small forward (in the Bill Bradley sense of the word). Another great outside shooter. My question: will she do as well at Maryland with other players who like the ball? Teri Moren's system at IU distributed the ball and Garzon was often the recipient of that unselfishness.

and
- Maggie Doogan, the 6'2" forward from Pennsylvania who plays at Richmond. Love this player's game and the old school in me loves the idea that she decided to stay at the place that helped make her (probably giving up a nice NIL deal in the process). Can play inside, go outside and rebounds. Steady, but there's an intensity there that I think will bode well for her at the next level.

Saw Doogan play against UCLA at Pauley in the NCAA second round. An incredibly gifted scorer and player. I agree she will be an interesting to follow as a pro. Hope she sticks with a WNBA squad.

 

[nwhoopfan]

Gianna Kneepkens will have the benefit of playing with a center (Lauren Betts) who will draw serious attention down low; and, Kiki Rice, a point guard who is adept at driving and dishing. This should allow Kneepkens the space to step into what is already a lethal jump shot.

Here's a different take: Utah was a better 3 point shooting team than UCLA last year. While Utah didn't have a low post presence like Betts, I think their floor spacing was pretty good because they had a number of capable 3 point shooters that defenses had to account for.

 

[oldhusky]

I thought for the most part this was a pretty accurate list. After reading it , I went back to the top to see who wrote it. After seeing it wasn't one person, but had multiple contributors, I think that might be the reason nobody seemed ridiculously ranked, at least to me, since it was more of a consensus than one person's opinion.

 

[browns]

ESPN got it right..to me Sara is the best all around player in the nation.to think she will probably be even better this year than last is going to be a joy to watch

 

[my2cents]

There are really two Azzi Fudds. One, just coming back from injury who is just happy to be out there playing, and maybe a bit cautious. The other, who is now comfortable and taking chances and very confident. The former could be the #8 player, the latter could easily be #1.
Her quick release 3 point shooting is spectacular, and as defensive players rush to cover her out there, she has been driving by them and finishing at the rim. She can be un-guardable.

 

[my2cents]

I'll be paying attention to three particular players on this list for varying reasons:

Transfers:

• Gianna Kneepkens will have the benefit of playing with a center (Lauren Betts) who will draw serious attention down low; and, Kiki Rice, a point guard who is adept at driving and dishing. This should allow Kneepkens the space to step into what is already a lethal jump shot.
• Yarden Garzon. Even though it's hard to believe, she really is a 6'3" guard or small forward (in the Bill Bradley sense of the word). Another great outside shooter. My question: will she do as well at Maryland with other players who like the ball? Teri Moren's system at IU distributed the ball and Garzon was often the recipient of that unselfishness.

and
- Maggie Doogan, the 6'2" forward from Pennsylvania who plays at Richmond. Love this player's game and the old school in me loves the idea that she decided to stay at the place that helped make her (probably giving up a nice NIL deal in the process). Can play inside, go outside and rebounds. Steady, but there's an intensity there that I think will bode well for her at the next level.

Great call out about Doogan. The young lady can score.

 

[Dillon77]

Here's a different take: Utah was a better 3 point shooting team than UCLA last year. While Utah didn't have a low post presence like Betts, I think their floor spacing was pretty good because they had a number of capable 3 point shooters that defenses had to account for.

Fair enough. In '23-'24, Kneepkens only played 8 games before being injured but in '22-23, the Utes has Alisa Pili playing down low, so there was some inside-out action going on. Kneepkens shooting percentages from three were pretty much the same those two years, so she can rip it if she was following the Lynne Roberts-move-it-around-and-shoot-it system or playing a little inside-out with Pili (which could be akin to Betts).

I'll add a caveat that I'm looking to see how she does at UCLA, in part, for her future as a pro. In the W, some teams do have a dominant inside presence. Then again, with Roberts in LA and a possible tweaking of personnel in Atlanta to fit a "let 'er rip" approach in Atlanta, your take could be just as -- if not, more - prophetic. Probably a bit of both. Stay tuned.