The Athletic’s debate series features two writers breaking down a specific topic. In this edition, Chantel Jennings and Ben Pickman debate which women’s college basketball player should win Player of the Year.
Chantel Jennings: As we head into the final week of the season, there seems to be one overriding theme in women’s college hoops this year: parity at the top level of the game. We’ve already seen four No. 1 teams, and a handful of others are serious contenders for the national title. This is far more crowded at the top than we’ve ever seen (at least in the modern era of NCAA women’s basketball).
With that, there’s also a significant level of parity in the national Player of the Year race, and I, for one, feel like — just as the AP poll has jostled between a few top teams — I’ve gone between a few players throughout the year.
Ben Pickman: I totally agree. Last season, it was a foregone conclusion that Caitlin Clark would win Player of the Year honors, but it feels like an open question this season. However, there appears to be a top three, in no order: Notre Dame’s Hannah Hidalgo, USC’s JuJu Watkins and UCLA’s Lauren Betts.
Where are you leaning?
Jennings: I must admit, I often see way too many sides of an argument (it is my lot as a middle child),…
