We’re just over one month into the 2025-26 women’s college basketball season, with most teams approaching the 10-game mark. The sample size is still pretty small. Yet, there’s enough evidence to identify
the standout players from each class.
Here’s a look the leading freshman, sophomore, junior, senior and super senior so far:
Freshman: Aaliyah Chavez (Oklahoma)
It looks like the 2025 prospect rankings were correct. Oklahoma’s Aaliyah Chavez or USC’s Jazzy Davidson claimed the No. 1 spot on most major lists, and both have proven that those projections were on point.
As point guards, the pair have been highly relied upon despite their status as freshmen, and while experiencing some expected growing pains, they’ve come through more often than not. Their stats are quite similar. Chavez’s greater eagerness and effectiveness as a 3-point shooter mostly explains her points per game edge (19.7 to 16.0). The 6-foot-1 Davidson has applied her superior length to finish better inside the arc (53.4 percent to 42.0 percent) and grab more rebounds (6.4 to 3.4), in addition to already establishing herself as defensive playmaker (4.3 to 2.0). The two’s assist numbers are an identical 4.3 per game, with Davidson being slightly more turnover prone (3.4 to 2.4).
They also had their best game against the same team. Davidson grabbed the star spotlight when she led USC to a comeback win over NC State, capping off her 21-point, five-rebound, five-block, four-assist and three-steal performance with the game winner.
Chavez scored 33 points, the most by any Division I freshman this season, when Oklahoma edged NC State in overtime earlier week. Whereas her other louder scoring nights had been dependent on her 3-pointer falling, Chavez found success inside the arc for the first time against a quality opponent, going 10-for-15 from 2-point range in a promising sign of developmental progress.
Assessing which has been better depends on whether one ascribes greater value to Davidson’s all-round impact or Chavez’s offensive explosiveness. Chavez gets the slight nod here. She’s demonstrated a more defined trajectory of improvement over the course of her still-short time as a collegian; Davidson has been a bit more up and down. As a member of a superior team with more upperclassmen talent, Chavez admittedly is in a better situation to find success than Davidson, who is charged with being a leader for a younger, less experienced team. Still, Chavez deserves credit for rapidly assuming an important role for a top-10 team.
Outside of Chavez and Davidson, other high-profile first years have, unfortunately, not seen much time on the court due to injury. UCLA’s Sienna Betts has yet to debut, while Aaliyah Crump and Emilee Skinner have missed time for Texas and Duke, respectively. Several freshman deserve shout outs for offering solid contributions to top teams in LSU’s Grace Knox and ZaKiyah Johson, Tennessee’s Mia Pauldo, Deniya Prawl and Jaida Civil and North Carolina’s Nyla Brooks. Our Zack Ward also shined a light on the importance of Addi Mack to Maryland.
Two freshmen who have flashed game-changing potential in their mostly limited minutes also are worth monitoring: UConn’s Blanca Quiñonez and South Carolina’s Agot Makeer. It’s not easy to earn minutes for the Huskies and Gamecocks, but, when either has been given opportunity, the dynamism they add to already-talented lineups is impossible to ignore. If any of UConn’s or South Carolina’s more trusted contributors have to miss time, either of these freshies could grab a larger role—and not give it back.
Sophomore: Sarah Strong (UConn)
As a class, sophomores might be having the best season, with a number of second years thriving star-level players for their squads. Vanderbilt’s Mikayla Blakes is a top-five scorer. Joyce Edwards is emerging as South Carolina’s best player.
And yet, none of them threaten to steal the sophomore crown from Sarah Strong.
Browse any assortment of advanced statistics and, more likely than not, Strong’s name is at the top of the ranking—and by a comfortable margin. Her production translates to impact in a way that not only outpaces all the other talented players in her class, but almost every player, regardless of class. She’s the reason that UConn can, credibly, believe that the 2025 national championship marked the start of another Husky dynasty. That’s true due to how Strong keeps broadening the boundaries of her game, adding both increased offensive and defensive playmaking to her scoring and rebounding.
Because reciting evidence of Strong’s excellence has become rote, Paige Bueckers put it best, “Sarah Strong…no words.”
Junior: Audi Crooks (Iowa State)
Audi Crooks is an offensive orchestra unto herself. The Iowa State center leads the nation in scoring in incredibly efficient fashion, accumulating more points than minutes played. Her masterpiece was her 47-point and 33-minute performance against Indiana.
The way Crooks authors her excellence contrasts with the other junior in contention for this honor, Notre Dame’s Hannah Hidalgo.
Yes, they sit at opposite ends of the size and positional spectrums, but their stylistic and attitudinal differences might be more stark. If Crooks is an orchestra, making beautiful basketball music with her fundamentals, finesse and consistency, Hidalgo is an inferno, burning with an intensity and effervescence every second she is on the court. Audi will sauté you will a smile. Hannah will roast you with a sneer.
Despite their differences, they are equally effective and impressive offensive engines for their teams, yet Crooks’ efficiency, plus her team’s still-undefeated status, gives her the edge.
Senior: Flau’Jae Johnson (LSU)
Entering the season, it would have been expected that UCLA’s Lauren Betts would be the most superlative senior. But instead of building on the potential for dominance that she demonstrated last season, Betts has assumed a reduced role in a more egalitarian UCLA offense, resulting in her production dropping across all major statistical categories. More concerning, her efficiency has also decreased, along with her activity on the offensive glass.
The Bruin with the strongest case for this honor might be Gabriela Jaquez. She’s made a leap as a shooter and scorer while maintaining her passing, rebounding and defensive playmaking, making her the most impactful Bruin according to most advanced statistics.
LSU, like UCLA, is loaded. No matter who is on the court, the Tigers’ level of talent is sure to exceed that of just about any opponent. Yet, LSU clearly has been at their best when Flau’Jae Johnson plays.
The Tiger offensive roars at a 150.1 offensive rating in her minutes, benefitting from her improved scoring efficiency from both 2-point and 3-point range. Although her absurd 58.1 mark from behind the arc is not sustainable, her increased confidence as a 3-point shooter should continue to boost the Tiger offense. After finishing under 50 percent of her 2-pointers last season, she’s currently clearing 53 percent on her inside-the-arc efforts. The best assist and steal, as well as lowest turnover, percentages of her career only add to Johnson’s sterling resume.
Flau’Jae is embodying what she recently told ESPN, “No matter who transferred, no matter who came in, no matter who left, I was always [me]. I think that’s what just made me so good. I’m always able to adapt.”
Super senior: Azzi Fudd (UConn)
UConn fans certainly have not failed to appreciate Azzi Fudd.
Still, on an ever-stacked Husky squad, it can be hard to fully acknowledge the extent of Fudd’s talent. Her generational shooting takes the Huskies from great to even greater, as was proven in the 2025 national championship game. Fudd’s impact, however, might be even more amplified a not-so-great team. Her shooting is solvent that could dissolve any offensive stagnancy. If a team like Duke had Azzi, all their offensive ills would probably be cured.
But she’s at UConn, putting together the best season of her too-often-interrupted college career. Her combination of volume and efficiency as a 3-point shooter is enough to make her the sport’s best super senior. But, she’s also showing that she’s not just a shooter, seemingly responding to the concerns outlined by Beckett Harrison before the season with her improved rebounding, passing and defensive playmaking. Her almost 3.5 made 3s per game come with a career-high 3.4 rebounds, 3.4. assists and 2.1 steals. The shooting and scoring will always top any scouting report, but Fudd has demonstrated that that’s not the only thing an opponent must account for.
Fresh off her first triple-double of the season, Olivia Miles can’t be ignored when spotlighting super seniors. The TCU transfer is arguably compiling the most productive season of her college career for the still-undefeated Horned Frogs. Even as her 3-pointer been off target, she’s still scoring a career-high 18 points per game, getting to the free throw line more than ever while also tossing seven dimes per game.
