South Carolina Leads ESPN's Top 50 With Five Players — SkimNews
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- South Carolina Gamecocks place five players on ESPN’s inaugural top 50, while UConn, LSU and Maryland each put three players on the list.
- JuJu Watkins of USC and Sarah Strong of UConn are past national player of the year winners among the handful expected to dominate the race for this season’s award.
- ESPN’s top 10 feature only players who have been with one team, despite transfers’ prominence in college sports; ESPN also projects all 10 reaching the WNBA within the next few years.
- Addi Mack scored 35 points with six assists in Maryland’s comeback attempt against South Carolina, the fourth-most points any player has scored against an AP No. 1 opponent over the past 25 seasons.
- Nunu Agara transferred from Stanford to Maryland after leading the Cardinal in scoring (15.3 points per game) and rebounding (8.7) in 2025-26; the move was among the portal’s biggest.
- Britt Prince led Nebraska in scoring (17.9 points per game), assists (4.4) and steals (1.5), added 4.4 rebounds and shot 53.3% from the field last season.
Why it matters: South Carolina holds the clearest depth advantage, with five players in ESPN’s top 50 versus three each for UConn, LSU and Maryland. Addi Mack’s 35-point game against the Gamecocks ranks fourth-most by points against an AP No. 1 opponent over 25 seasons; with few games played and freshmen excluded, ESPN says the list can change in its next update.
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