The National Player of the Year talk has once again become one of the hottest topics in women’s college basketball. The 2022-2023 season saw a few additional contenders appear for a while, but it seems to have led to the same debate as last year: Iowa’s Caitlin Clark or South Carolina’s Alia Boston.
But this is hardly the only player in the debate of the year. As Boston struggles to become a national winner again, she has been named SEC Player of the Year for the second consecutive season. The same goes for Clark in the Big Ten, Elizabeth Keatley in the ACC and Sam Breen in the Atlantic 10. And at the Pac-12 on Tuesday, Utah’s Alyssa Pealy was named the league’s top individual honor winner.
More rewards will be officially announced as the Week of Champions approaches. We look at which players are the favorites in each conference (or why we’d vote Boston, Brin, Clark, Keatley and Peely if we had a vote) and which players offer the most competition. Let this serve as a cheat sheet for top honors in every league across the country – and players to keep an eye on if their teams make it to the NCAA Tournament.
Go to each league:
American | America East | ACC | Atlantic sun | A-10 | Big 12 | Big East | Big sky | Big South | Big Ten | Big West | CAA | C-USA | Horizon | ivy | MAAK | MAC | IEAC | MVK | MW | NEC | HVAC | Pak-12 | Patriot | mall | SoCon | Southland | SWAC | Summit | Solar belt | WCC | WAC
American Sports Conference
Dulcy Fancam Mengiadeu, 6-4, F, South Florida Bulls
Third in the nation in rebounding and double-doubles and shooting 60.2% from the field, Mengiadeu went from a solid player to a dominant force in her redshirt senior season. Her 34-point, 17-rebound game against Ohio State stands out as one of the best games for an average player against a Power 5 contender all season.
Best Opponent: Jelena Zineke, 5-9, G, South Florida Bulls
The award can be received anyway at the AAC, but it doesn’t leave Tampa. Preseason favorite, Zineke improved her scoring and shooting percentage from last year and finished second in the conference on both metrics.
America East
Adrianna Smith, 6-0, F, Maine Black Bears
During a season riddled with injuries, the Black Bears found their next star. After averaging 2.1 points and 2.0 rebounds in his freshman year, Smith made a huge leap in his sophomore year to lead the conference in both categories.
Best Rival: Helen Hagerstrand, 6-1, Great Dane from Albany.
Hegerstrand kept Great Danes stable early in the season, with junior star Kayla Cooper out of the game. Back together, they helped Albany earn a piece of the regular season title.
ACC
Elizabeth Keatley, 6-4, C, Virginia Tech
Keatley turned what was a close race into a second consecutive ACC Player of the Year trophy. In the last seven Virginia Tech games, six of which were against NCAA tournament-caliber teams, Keatley had six double-doubles (and all seven were Virginia Tech victories). Keatley is the third consecutive two-time winner after Louisville’s Asia Durr (2018, 2019) and Dana Evans (2020, 2021).
Best Opponent: Olivia Miles, 5-10, G, Notre Dame Fighting Irish
Miles’ knee injury against Louisville on Sunday in the regular season final won’t detract from another great season. Her dynamic point guard play propelled Notre Dame to the regular season championship.
Atlantic sun
Tishara Morehouse, 5-3, G, Florida Gulf Coast Eagles
FGCU coach Carl Smesko gave Morehouse the keys to his powerful ASUN program, and the fifth year passed it on. She led the nation’s highest-scoring three-point shooting team in three-pointers, assists and assists made as the Eagles went on to a 13th straight 25-win season.
Best Opponent: Gracie Merkle, 6-6, C, Bellarmine Knights
Breaking the record for most ASUN freshman awards in a week, Merkle leads the league in rebounding and field goal percentage, and leads the Knights in scoring.
Atlantic 10
Sam Breen, 6-1, F, UMass Minutewomen
After winning the award last season, Breen improved even more and was officially named the A-10 Player of the Year on Tuesday. She scored more (and more efficiently), averaged one more pass per game, and got better at shooting from a distance. Brin should be UMass’s all-time leading scorer in the postseason and go down in history as the best player in the program’s history.
Best Opponent: Asia Dingle, 5-8, G, Fordham Rams
After five seasons and three schools, Dingle had the best year of her career, leading the A-10 in scoring and steals.
Big East
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Maddy Sigrist, 6-1, F, Villanova Wildcats
Somehow, Siegrist managed to become the best player of the year last year. Siegrist, the nation’s leading scorer and the all-time leading scorer in Big East history, has scored at least 21 points in every game this season and has topped 30 points 12 times.
Best Opponent: Alia Edwards, 6-3, F, UConn Huskies
In a UConn season devastated by injuries, illnesses and missed games, Edwards was a stabilizing force. She was one of only two Huskies to play in every game, which is the main reason why UConn is still in contention for the #1 seed.
big sky
Kalaija Dean, 5-6, G, Sacramento State Hornets
After four years in Oakland, Dean moved to the Hornets as an alumnus and set career highs in points, rebounds, assists and field goal percentage. Her leadership as a point guard helped Sacramento State have the best season in program history.
Top Rivals: Beyoncé Bea, 6-1, G, Idaho Vandals
Big Sky’s top scorer, Beah, could well earn his third all-conference first-team pick.
Big South
Jessica Williams, 5-10 years old, F, Gardner-Webb Running Bulldogs
A preseason favorite, Williams proved himself by leading the Big South in scoring and rebounding. She was also fifth in assists and second in field goal percentage as the Running Bulldogs became the first team, men and women, to go 18-0 in a conference game.
Highest Competition: Alasia Smith, 5-10, F, Gardner-Webb Runnin’ Bulldogs
When a team dominates the conference, as Gardner-Webb did, it is bound to dominate the postseason honors. Smith was third on the team in scoring and second in rebounding. The Runnin’ Bulldogs also had the league leader in 3-point percentage (Lauren Bevis) and assists (Ki’Ari Kane).
Big 12
Rory Harmon, 5-6, G, Texas Longhorns
The numbers aren’t impressive, but Harmon’s importance to the Longhorns’ success cannot be overestimated. When she pulled out with a foot injury early in the season, Texas started 1–3. Now with Harmon developing the Longhorns at both ends of the floor, they are on the cusp of a Big 12 title in the regular season.
Best Opponent: Ashley Jones, 6-1, F, Iowa State Cyclones
Winning the Big 12 Player of the Year is the only award Joens has not achieved in her five-year career. She was about to lead the conference in scoring for the third time, but could lose again because the Cyclones would not win the regular season title.
big ten
Caitlin Clark, 6-0, G, Iowa Hawkeyes
If there was any doubt, Clarke’s Sunday game of 34 points, nine rebounds and nine assists ended with a three-point winner that beat the regular season champion Indiana on the buzzer to secure his second straight Big Ten Player of the Year spot (the league winner was officially announced). about it on Tuesday). It was a career-defining moment when we ended a regular season that was better, more productive and more efficient than last year.
Best Opponent: Mackenzie Holmes, 6-3, F, Indiana Hoosiers
Her team could have finished first, but Holmes finished second in that race. Holmes could become a first-team All-American this season, averaging 22.5 points per game and shooting nearly 70% from the field.
Big West
Evanne Turner, 5–9, G, UC Davis Eggies
Turner’s ability as a long-range shooter, one of the best in the Big West in the past four years, also made her the league’s leading scorer this season before the final week.
Best Contender: Tory Harris, 6-1, G, Long Beach State Beach
After stops at James Madison and St. Bonaventure, Harris — the sister of Philadelphia 76ers forward Tobias Harris — has found a home in Long Beach. She achieved the best results in her career in scoring, assists and shooting percentage for the first place at the beach.
Colonial Athletic Association
Keishana Washington, 5-7, G, Drexel Dragons
Since arriving in Drexel, Washington, which has steadily improved its record every year, it has completely flared up in its fifth season. She went from 19.1 PPG to over 27 per contest, which is third in the country. And Washington scores goals the old school way: relentlessly chasing the basket. Her free throw and two-point shooting speed is among the best in the country, and her three-point shooting is in the bottom third.
Top Competitors: Anastasia Warren, 5-8, G, Stony Brook Seawolves
The Seawolves transition to CAA went smoothly. They have been racing all season and the main reason is that everyone on the list knows their role. Warren’s job is to shoot and take long shots – and she did it better than anyone at the conference.
US Conference
Savannah Wheeler, 5–6, Lady Raiders, Middle Tennessee
Her scoring declined from her previous two seasons at Marshall, but Wheeler’s assists, steals, three-pointers, and field goal accuracy improved. She was a key differentiator for the Lady Raiders, coming from second place last season and dominating CUSA from start to finish this year.
Best Opponent: Jordyn Jenkins, 6-0, F, UTSA Roadrunners
Despite the difficulties of the Roadrunners, it’s hard to ignore the fact that Jenkins, who signed from USC, finished in the top ten of seven CUSA statistical categories, including leading in scoring and field goal percentage.
Horizon League
Destiny Leo, 5-10, G, Cleveland State Vikings
Established as Horizon’s top shooter, Leo led the league in scoring (17.9 ppg), 3-pointers per game (2.5) and 3-point field goal percentage (38.5%) for the second straight season — and even scored 91.9%. her free throws just in case. She was at least 10 points short in just three games all season.
Best Opponent: Lilly Ritz, 6-1, F, Youngstown State Penguins
“Penguins”…
Source: www.espn.com
