Paige Bueckers, JuJu Watkins headline Associated Press' women's All-America team
With March Madness set to begin, college basketball's regular-season honors are already pouring in. Fans got a glimpse of what to expect during award season Wednesday, as Paige Bueckers, JuJu Watkins and Lauren Betts were among the biggest names to make the Associated Press' women's All-America team.
Betts, Bueckers and Watkins were all named to the AP's First Team. They were the only three players to be unanimous All-Americans.
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Here's the full AP women's All-America team:
First team
Paige Bueckers, senior, UConn
JuJu Watkins, sophomore, USC
Lauren Betts, junior, UCLA
Hannah Hidalgo, sophomore, Notre Dame
Madison Booker, sophomore, Texas
Second team
Aneesah Morrow, senior, LSU
Ta'Niya Latson, junior, Florida State
Olivia Miles, senior, Notre Dame
Sarah Strong, freshman, UConn
Georgia Amoore, senior, Kentucky
Third team
Hailey Van Lith, senior, TCU
Kiki Iriafen, senior, USC
Mikayla Blakers, freshman, Vanderbilt
Flau'Jae Johnson, junior, LSU
Audi Crooks, sophomore, Iowa State
A number of players received honorable mentions for the team, including Notre Dame's Sonia Citron and South Carolina's Te-Hina Paopao, both of whom are expected to be early selections in the 2025 WNBA Draft, which will be held April 14.
Paige Bueckers seeking championship before WNBA Draft
Bueckers, thought to be the top player in the WNBA Draft, has unfinished business before she can focus on the pros. Despite coming close multiple times, the 23-year-old has yet to win a national championship.
As a freshman, Bueckers lost to Arizona in the Final Four. The following season, she led UConn to the national championship game, where they fell to South Carolina. After tearing her ACL, Bueckers redshirted in 2002. She returned to UConn for her junior year, where she once again lost in the Final Four.
As a senior, Bueckers has averaged 19 points and 4.9 assists. UConn finished with a 31-3 record, earning a No. 2 seed in the NCAA tournament. The Huskies face No. 15 seed Arkansas State on Saturday.
Should UConn make another deep run, it would set up a possible Elite Eight matchup with Watkins and USC. Watkins turned in yet another phenomenal season with the Trojans, averaging 24.6 points and leading the team to a No. 1 seed in the tournament.
If Bueckers can overcome that challenge, she would advance to the Final Four for the fourth time in her college career.
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