Since ESPN’s ranking of the top 25 players in the country in late February, a new NCAA scoring champ was crowned, USC won its first Pac-12 tournament title in 10 years and three teams are dancing for the first time in March Madness.
But not everything is new.
Caitlin Clark remains No. 1 in ESPN’s ranking of the nation’s best 25 players in the 2024 women’s NCAA tournament. The Iowa Hawkeyes guard has maintained her top spot all season long. But with games set to tip off — the First Four opens Wednesday and the round of 64 starts Friday — there are some changes from our most recent ranking.
Freshmen and their immediate impact have been a key storyline in 2023-24, and they’re expected to be a big factor in the tournament. Four first-year players are on our latest list — three of them in the top 10 — and several others were strongly considered.
Our panel — ESPN’s Charlie Creme, Alexa Philippou and Michael Voepel — are also in the same position as the NCAA selection committee: We aren’t sure of the status of some injured players. Elizabeth Kitley is the most high-profile, after missing the ACC tournament with a knee injury suffered March 3 in a regular-season finale. The Virginia Tech Hokies center is still on our list, but dropped…
