If there is a theme to this year’s N.C.A.A. women’s basketball tournament, it’s that everything is wide open, leaving room for new stars to emerge and for teams to create new memories. Some of the greatest star power in the game this season came from underclassmen, with strong performances by first-year players and sophomores adding to their résumés, and there promises to be more where that came from.
Caitlin Clark, Iowa
Clark leads the nation in scoring with 26.7 points per game. Her 195 assists are the most in the country, and her 506 field-goal attempts are third. She is so casually in the top rankings of so many offensive categories that it is easy to forget she is a freshman. A potential meeting with her UConn counterpart, Paige Bueckers, in the round of 16 is the definition of must-see TV.
Paige Bueckers, UConn
Bueckers, the Big East’s player of the year and freshman of the year, has been one of the top stories this season. She averaged 19.7 points and 4.3 rebounds a game, and played all 45 minutes of an overtime game against South Carolina, hitting the game-winner. Her career high, 32 points, came against St. John’s in February.
Dana Evans, Louisville
The Atlantic Coast Conference player of the year for the second season in a row, Evans is 5 feet 6 inches but ranked 15th in the nation in points with 520. A senior guard, she scored in double digits in all of her 23 games this season, and 40 games in a row over all, dating to last season. She averages 1.3 steals a game and has a 92.1 free-throw percentage.


Elissa Cunane, North Carolina State
Cunane was the A.C.C. tournament most valuable player, and helped guide the Wolfpack to a No. 1 seed in San Antonio. A 6-foot-5 junior center and North Carolina native, she led the team with 16.6 points and 8.1 rebounds a game.
NaLyssa Smith, Baylor
The Big 12 player of the year, Smith averaged 18.6 points and 9.2 rebounds a game, while ranking second in the conference with a 53.3 field-goal percentage. A junior power forward, she helped lead Baylor to a No. 2 seed in San Antonio after scoring 21 points in a conference tournament semifinal win against Texas. A San Antonio native, she shot at a 54.1 percent clip this season and had six games shooting at least 75 percent.
Aari McDonald, Arizona


The Pac-12 player of the year and a co-defensive player of the year, McDonald is one of the best two-way players in the nation. It was her second straight year earning the defensive player honors. Her 19.4 points a game tied her for the highest average in the conference, and she has scored in double digits in all 85 games with the Wildcats after transferring from Washington. She is 5 feet 6 inches, and her five rebounds a game were 23rd most in the conference. She also had 2.7 steals per game, and her speed makes her a weapon in transition.
Ashley Owusu, Maryland
Maryland is loaded with talent, but its heart and soul is Owusu. Her 373 field goals ranked as the 23rd most in the nation. A sophomore, she leads the Terps in scoring with 18.3 points per game and assists at 5.8 per game. She was a unanimous Big Ten selection, and her decision-making skills have helped Maryland to a 1.69 assist-to-turnover ratio.


Aliyah Boston, South Carolina
So much has been said about Boston, the Gamecocks’ generational star. Boston was fifth in the nation with 74 blocks and 14th with 11.7 rebounds per game. A sophomore forward, she again led South Carolina to a Southeastern Conference title. At 6 feet 5 inches, she is a two-time SEC defensive player of the year and an unavoidable presence on the floor.
Haley Jones, Stanford
Stanford has been dominant, and Jones is a big reason. A 6-1 guard, she has the potential to take over games, even though her 13 points and 7.7 rebounds a game don’t jump off the statistical page. She can shoot and work in the paint, and is the Cardinal’s heart.
Rhyne Howard, Kentucky
A two-time SEC player of the year, Howard was 25th in the country with 20.7 points per game and led the Wildcats with 7.3 points. She has scored in double figures in 70 of her 79 career contests. A sophomore, she is in the same conversation with the former South Carolina stars Tiffany Mitchell and A’ja Wilson, players who earned SEC player of the year honors twice before becoming a senior. She is the only Power 5 player to average more than 20 points a game.
Others to watch: Jenn Wirth, Gonzaga; Hannah Sjerven, South Dakota; Michaela Onyenwere, U.C.L.A.; Charli Collier, Texas.

Source: New York Times

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