Women's NCAA basketball freshman top 10 impact rankings - ESPN

We've been watching this year's stellar freshman class all season, measuring their impact on their respective teams. It's never been more important than now, on the eve of the biggest stage in college basketball.

Last year, then-freshmen Sarah Strong (UConn), Joyce Edwards (South Carolina) and Mikayla Blakes (Vanderbilt) were among the 25 best women's college basketball players in the NCAA tournament. This season, all three have continued to perform and are top-five in the nation, according to Cerebro Sports. Factoring in their statistical impact and consistent efficiency places them at the top, despite carrying heavy loads for their teams. That is the definition of major impact.

This year's freshman group has done well and is tracking to play a large role in the NCAA tournament (beginning March 20). Some mid-major teams punched their ticket thanks to their impactful freshmen: Tatum Brown (Jacksonville), Vanessa Harris (Rhode Island), Kaylee Yarbrough (Samford) and Francie Morris (Samford).

It was also difficult to keep the list to just 10 names. We examined usage rates, statistics and analytics, as well as team rankings and strength of schedule. We used Hudl Instat to isolate production versus top-25 teams and factored in the weight each player has carried for her team. The below list is our final ranking of the 2025-26 freshman class — with a few extra names who stood out.

Previous ranking: 1

Davidson ends the year where she started. The top-ranked recruit in the 2025 SC Next 100 led the Trojans in five major statistical categories: points (17.6 PPG), rebounds (5.7 RPG), assists 4.2 APG, steals (2) and blocks (2) while maintaining a positive assist-to-turnover ratio.

With JuJu Watkins out for the season, Davidson