Women’s College Basketball 2024-2025: We Can’t Wait

After a record-breaking and exciting WNBA season and Finals, the baton has been returned to women’s college basketball, which appears to be able to boost the stakes in the game once more.

With equity and the distribution of talent in the sport perhaps the strongest ever, one other historic NCAA season appears to be upon us.

From underrated signings to big players returning to the court, here’s an inventory of a number of the things we’re looking forward to within the 2024-2025 season.

Players getting back from injury

A 12 months ago, the injury bug hit a number of the game’s top and emerging stars, dealing huge blows to title-chasing teams. This season, for essentially the most part, these players are healthy and able to play of their lineups.

Notre Dame returns part magician, part point guard Olivia Miles (knee injury) to team up with Hannah Hidalgo. Texas returns electrifying two-way guard Rori Harmon (ACL). Azzi Fudd (ACL, meniscus) is anticipated to take once more at UConn in December, making the Huskies top-of-the-line shooting weapons within the country. Each of those players is changing the competitive trajectory of their programs.

Note the important thing contributions of players similar to KK Deans (ACL) at Ole Miss, Cassandre Prosper at Notre Dame (lower leg) and Sa’myah Smith (ACL, MCL and meniscus) also at LSU.

Battle of Los Angeles, Part 2

A 12 months ago, the primary chapter of the Battle of Los Angeles between USC and UCLA featured a few of the perfect games of the complete college basketball season – most notably a two-overtime rating within the Pac-12 tournament semifinals.

While last 12 months’s competition was good, this 12 months’s matchup between the 2 Los Angeles giants may very well be even higher. Both teams, currently playing within the Big Ten, have significantly revamped their rosters. USC, which enters the season ranked No. 2 within the nation, added a top transfer last offseason in forward Kiki Iriafen, in addition to a top defenseman in Talia Von Oelhoffen. Meanwhile, No. 5-ranked UCLA had three mammoth signings: defenseman Charlisse Leger-Walker and forwards Janiah Barker and Timea Gardner.

Bad news – you’ll have to attend until February 13 for the primary matchup between the Trojans and the Bruins. It will definitely be definitely worth the wait.

Underrated transfers value watching

There have been numerous big name transfers within the news this summer, but two which have perhaps flown more under the radar are those of Liat King and Starr Jacobs. King transferred to Notre Dame from Pittsburgh, where a 12 months ago she was the second-leading rebounder and sixth-leading scorer within the ACC. She could play a key role for the Fighting Irish, especially early within the season when Maddy Westbeld and Kylee Watson were sidelined with injuries. Against a short-handed Notre Dame team within the season opener, King had 27 points and 12 rebounds.

Jacobs, who transferred to Ole Miss from Arkansas-Pine Bluff, last played in the course of the 2022-2023 season when she played at UT Arlington. In two seasons with the Mavericks, Jacobs averaged 18.1 points and eight.8 rebounds per game. As the 2021-2022 Sun Belt Player of the Year, Jacobs led UT Arlington to its first conference championship and NCAA Tournament appearance in 15 years. She should contact the Rebels immediately.

The SEC goes to be crazy

As if the SEC wasn’t already one of the vital vital conferences in college basketball, the conference realignment added two more Top 25 programs in Texas, which begins the season at No. 4, and Oklahoma, which is ranked tenth. There are currently 4 teams within the AP Top 10, which is essentially the most of any conference, and 7 teams within the Top 25, which can also be essentially the most of any conference. The depth on this conference is big, from national champion South Carolina to powerhouse LSU, in addition to rising programs like Ole Miss and Alabama to rising programs like Auburn and Vanderbilt. Eyes may also be on Lexington and Knoxville to see what recent head coaches Kenny Brooks and Kim Caldwell can do with Kentucky and Tennessee, respectively.

Phenomena of first-graders and sensations of second-graders

Last 12 months’s freshman class was top-of-the-line, if not the perfect, that ladies’s college basketball has ever seen.

Hidalgo was the ACC All-American Defensive Player of the Year for Notre Dame. Watkins led USC to the Elite Eight, dropped 50 players and was also named an All-American. South Carolina guard MiLaysia Fulwiley was SEC Tournament MVP, and Tessa Johnson was the hero of the national title game for the Gamecocks. Audi Crooks broke quite a few school records within the state of Iowa.

Each of those players will feature in revamped lineups that ought to elevate their games in season two. This also applies to Madison Booker, who will make a killer pair with Harmon in Austin.

Two huge second-year SEC talents who have not been mentioned yet – Taliah Scott, who transferred to Auburn from Arkansas, and LSU’s Mikaylah Williams, the 2024 SEC Freshman of the Year.

These usually are not reflections. The depth of this class is just ridiculous.

Mid-range player to observe: Harmony Turner from Harvard

Turner is an especially creative playmaking talent with a changeable playing style and a continuing ability to attain points within the box for the Crimson. She was named the Ivy League Rookie of the Year in 2022 and has since earned First-Team All-Ivy honors in her sophomore and junior seasons. This summer, Turner co-captained the U23 team that won gold on the FIBA ​​3×3 World Championship in Mongolia.

Last season, Turner averaged 19.3 points, 6.2 rebounds and 4.3 assists per game. Her performance against Power 5 opponents was impressive. She had 18 points, seven rebounds and 6 assists against Maryland on November 6, 2023 and 29 points, seven rebounds and five assists against Baylor on November 19, 2023.