Charlie Creme Oct 21, 2026, 08:40 AM ET

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Charlie Creme projects the women's NCAA tournament bracket for ESPN.com.

A year ago at this time, the national player of the year race in women's college basketball looked like a foregone conclusion. Yes, UCLA 's Lauren Betts and Notre Dame 's Hannah Hidalgo were also in the conversation, but Sarah Strong was a big favorite. And by season's end, the UConn star was the easy and consensus choice for every major top player award, from the Wooden Award to the Naismith and Wade trophies.

Strong returns for her junior season, and Hidalgo is back for one final run with the Fighting Irish. But they have plenty of company in this year's race when the 2026-27 season tips off in 11 days.

JuJu Watkins , the consensus 2025 national player of the year, missed all of last season while she recovered from a knee injury but is back in USC 's starting lineup.…