Ranking the 25 best players in women's March Madness - ESPN

It's legacy-making time in college basketball. What players do over the next few weeks can put them in the NCAA tournament history book forever. From Cheryl Miller to Sheryl Swoopes, from Chamique Holdsclaw to Diana Taurasi, from Candace Parker to Breanna Stewart, from A'ja Wilson to Arike Ogunbowale, and from Aliyah Boston to Angel Reese, March has been a time for stars winning the ultimate championship.

But even standout players who don't win the NCAA title can steal the show with great performances during March Madness, as Caitlin Clark did the past two seasons in leading Iowa to the national championship game.

This year, for those considered front-runners for national player of the year — USC's JuJu Watkins, UConn's Paige Bueckers, Notre Dame's Hannah Hidalgo and UCLA's Lauren Betts — there is a chance to win their first national championship.

Other players' goals might be to advance past the tournament's first weekend, or to make their program's first Final Four. Bottom line: We're about to see the best of the best hoping to keep their seasons going as long as possible.

We ranked the best players in women's college hoops in the preseason, and players have moved on and off the list since. But not at the top, where Watkins stays at No. 1. But no freshmen were considered for the preseason rankings. Now three freshmen make the cut as for the top 25 players entering the women's NCAA tournament, as determined by ESPN's Michael Voepel, Charlie Creme, Alexa Philippou and Kendra Andrews.

Come back before the Sweet 16 and ahead of the Final Four, when we'll update our rankings. But this is where the rankings stand entering the first round, which tips Friday (11:30 a.m. ET, ESPN2).

Guard | 6-foot-2 | sophomore
Stats: 24.6 PPG,