Preseason predictions can often be a trying exercise, as surprises are bound to arise. But now that the halfway mark of the 2024-25 college basketball regular season has passed, four of our five first-team preseason All-America predictions are still projected as first-team honorees, with the fifth on our second team.
Of course, change is possible over the final month-plus of the regular season. And don’t fret, the award madness seems more poised to occur down-ballot, where numerous players deserve second-team nods.
Ben Pickman, Sabreena Merchant and Chantel Jennings cast their votes this week to assemble The Athletic’s midseason All-America team:
First team
| Player | Team |
|---|---|
|
Lauren Betts |
|
|
JuJu Watkins |
|
|
Hannah Hidalgo |
|
|
Paige Bueckers |
|
|
Aneesah Morrow |
Second team
| Player | Team |
|---|---|
|
Sarah Strong |
|
|
Ta’Niya Latson |
|
|
Madison Booker |
|
|
Sedona Prince |
|
|
Hailey Van Lith |
Also receiving votes: Joyce Edwards, South Carolina; Khamil Pierre, Vanderbilt
(Stats are through Jan. 29. Players are listed according to the number of votes received.)
First team
Lauren Betts, junior center, UCLA
Key stats: 21.0 ppg, 9.9 rpg, 3.0 blk, 64.2 FG%
Betts is blossoming with the Bruins two years after transferring from Stanford following an underwhelming freshman campaign. She says she’s…
