The national Player of the Year debate has been as intense as the title chase this season. So does Aliyah Boston or Caitlin Clark lead our rankings?
The debate over who should be the national Player of the Year has been as spirited this women’s college basketball season as the one over which team might hoist the 2022 NCAA trophy. South Carolina junior Aliyah Boston and Iowa sophomore Caitlin Clark will no doubt headline every All-America team — and they lead the way in our ranking of the top players in the women’s NCAA tournament, as voted on by ESPN’s Charlie Creme, Alexa Philippou and Mechelle Voepel. Twelve players have been featured in all three of ESPN’s top 25 player rankings this season (denoted below with *). Not much has changed at the very top of the list from our last ranking on Jan.12, but one big name was added: UConn ‘s Paige Bueckers, who was No.1 in ESPN’s preseason list but was omitted from version 2.0 after being sidelined by a knee injury. Some top players were eliminated from these rankings when their teams were not included in the NCAA bracket. And Tennessee ‘s Jordan Horston — who received enough votes to make the cut — was taken off the list as her status for the tournament is uncertain due to a fractured dislocation of her left elbow suffered Feb.17. From potential first-round picks in April’s WNBA draft to impact underclassmen, these are the 25 best players in the Big Dance. Stanford, UConn and Louisville each put two players on the list. Forward| 6-foot-5 | junior Her SEC-record double-double streak is at 24, and she was named SEC Player of the Year and the league’s top defender, averaging 16.8 points,12.0 rebounds and 2.6 blocks. Boston’s leadership has been stellar all season. The unexpected loss to Kentucky in the SEC final gives her another chance to demonstrate it going forward in the NCAA tournament as the Gamecocks seek a second straight Final Four. — Voepel Guard | 6-foot-0 | sophomore Complete your bracket by selecting the winner for each game of the women’s NCAA tournament. Play Tournament Challenge Clark, the Big Ten Player of the Year, leads Division I in scoring (27.4) and assists (7.9), and helped propel Iowa to the Big Ten regular-season and conference tournament titles, the first time the program won both in the same season. The Hawkeyes, who made the Sweet 16 last year, are on a seven-game winning streak entering NCAA tournament play. — Voepel Forward | 6-foot-4 | senior Making a late push to reenter a national player of the year conversation that seemed to forget her, Smith racked up averages of 32 points and 16 rebounds in Baylor’s final three regular-season games as the Bears overtook and overwhelmed the rest of the Big 12 on their way to a 12th straight regular-season crown. — Creme Guard | 6-foot-1 | junior The Cardinal ran the table in the Pac-12 on their way to the program’s 15th league tournament title, and Jones was a force throughout. The Final Four’s most outstanding player last season for national champion Stanford, Jones is second on the team in scoring (13.1) and rebounding (7.9) and leads in assists (3.7). Even on a team with multiple offensive options, she is the go-to at crunch time. — Voepel Guard | 6-foot-2 | senior Howard put up her usual sterling numbers, but for more than half the season, she didn’t seem to be doing much to help Kentucky win. On Feb.10, the Wildcats were 9-11 and it looked like Howard’s career would end with an early loss in the SEC tournament. Instead, Kentucky began winning again and never stopped. With Howard steering the ship, the Wildcats won their first SEC tournament title in 40 years and ride a 10-game winning streak into the NCAA tournament. — Creme Forward |6-foot-2 | senior In a world without Caitlin Clark, Hillmon is a two-time Big Ten Player of the Year and one of the most decorated players in the league’s history. Nevertheless, she’s the best player ever at Michigan and the heartbeat of a program having its most successful season. — Creme Center| 6-foot-5 | senior Austin (15.
