Ranking the 10 best women's college basketball players for 2026-27: Can anyone catch Sarah Strong? — SkimNews
Get the Sports newsletter
Daily sports — scores, transfers, the storylines from the leagues you actually follow. Free.
- Toby Fournier was ranked No. 10; she was Duke’s key component in the ACC regular-season and conference-tournament titles and Elite Eight run, averaging 17.3 points, 7.9 rebounds and 2.2 blocks, while Duke Women’s Basketball called her a two-way impact.
- Audi Crooks was ranked No. 8; after being the transfer portal’s top player, she joined Oklahoma State and finished 2025-26 as the nation’s second-leading scorer at 25.8 points on 64.9% shooting, including 47 points against Indiana on Nov. 30.
- Joyce Edwards was ranked No. 6; she set South Carolina’s single-season scoring record with 768 points, averaged 19.2 points on 57.1% shooting plus 1.8 steals and 1.1 blocks, and drew praise from Dawn Staley, who compared her ball handling favorably with A’ja Wilson’s at the same age.
- Madison Booker was ranked No. 5 after averaging 18.9 points on 50.8% shooting and scoring a career-high 40 in a 100-58 NCAA tournament win over Oregon; with Rori Harmon now in the WNBA, Booker is taking on a veteran leadership role, while ESPNW logged her first triple-double with 20 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists.
- Mikayla Blakes was ranked No. 4; she led the nation at 27.1 points per game as a sophomore, set the Division I sophomore single-season record with 918 points and averaged 2.9 steals, while Naismith Awards highlighted five straight 30-point games.
- JuJu Watkins was ranked No. 3 for her USC return, with a debut against UNLV scheduled for Monday at 4 p.m. ET, about 19 months after her ACL tear; before the injury, the 2024-25 Naismith Player of the Year averaged 23.9 points and led USC to its first Elite Eight since 1994.
- Hannah Hidalgo was ranked No. 2 and opened the season with 32 points, seven rebounds and eight assists as Notre Dame beat Villanova 99-75 at the Eternal City Tip-Off.
Why it matters: USC’s season changes immediately: Watkins, ranked No. 3, returns after 19 months and faces UNLV Monday at 4 p.m. ET; the 2024-25 Naismith winner had averaged 23.9 points before her ACL tear. Oklahoma State also gains the nation’s No. 2 scorer, Audi Crooks, who finished 2025-26 at 25.8 points per game before transferring.
Ask SkimNews
