Ranking the top underclass guards in women's March Madness - ESPN

Listen to five minutes of March Madness coverage and one of the tenets of the NCAA tournament will undoubtedly come up: Teams must have good guard play.

Young guards have been key all season in women's college basketball. Some are about to play their first NCAA tournament game. Others got a taste of the big stage last year and are eager to take the next step.

UConn sophomore forward Sarah Strong might be the front-runner for national player of the year, but these 10 high-impact sophomore and freshman guards are expected to play big roles for their teams. Their skills and decisions will be tested in the most pressure-packed environment.

We look at their strengths, their best games this season and a comparable pro player. (WNBA player comparisons are listed with the teams they most recently played for, but several are free agents.) These players are not at that level yet, but don't be surprised to see them with the ball in crunch time of the NCAA tournament, looking to take the shot, make the pass or grab the rebound that could decide which team advances.

NCAA opener: No. 2 Vanderbilt vs. No. 15 High Point, 7 p.m. ET on Saturday, ESPNews

Stats: 27.0 PPG, 3.8 RPG, 4.0 APG, 2.9 SPG

Best game this season: The 5-foot-8 sophomore's season high was 38 points, but perhaps her most masterful performance was in a 102-86 victory over Oklahoma on Feb. 9. She had 34 points on 13-of-23 shooting, with six assists, four rebounds and two steals.

Comparable pro: Kelsey Plum, Los Angeles Sparks

Biggest strengths: Similar to Plum, who scored 3,527 points in her college career at Washington, Blakes can score from anywhere and against any game plan. Facing some of the best defenses in the country in the SEC, she averaged 30.5 points in league