A little more than halfway through the women’s college basketball season, UConn’s Sarah Strong looks like the best player in the nation.
Strong was the lone unanimous choice to our USA TODAY Sports midseason All-American team with about two months to go until Selection Sunday. The Huskies (17-0) continue to hold down the top spot in the USA TODAY Sports women’s college coaches poll. UConn, the defending national champion, has won 34 straight dating back to last season.
USA TODAY Sports staffers Heather Burns, Meghan Hall, Cydney Henderson and Mitchell Northam voted on the team. Here’s who else made the cut and who got honorable mention:
USA TODAY COACHES POLL: Texas falls, LSU rises six spots in women’s basketball coaches poll
Sarah Strong
UConn, Jr., Forward
Strong is the motor for a UConn squad that is one of three remaining undefeated teams. The 6-foot-2 sophomore forward is often called a unicorn and has drawn comparisons to Nikola Jokic for her ability to do seemingly everything at a high level. She can bang in the paint with bigs, drain 3-pointers, bring the ball up the floor, dish out assists and pick an opponent’s pocket.
The versatile yet quiet UConn star is averaging 18.4 points, 8.1 rebounds, 4.6 assists, 3.7 steals and 1.4 blocks per game while shooting 60% from the floor, 42.4% from 3-point land and 88.9% from the free throw line. In addition to flirting with a 50-40-90 season, Strong leads the nation in win shares (4.6) and defensive rating (55.6), and is fourth in points-per-scoring-attempt (1.39).
Hannah Hidalgo
Notre Dame, Jr., Guard
Hidalgo is doing everything for Notre Dame, averaging 5.9 steals — first in the country — and 25.1 points a game, good for second. The two-time ACC Defensive Player of the Year has a chance to win the national award this season and recently wreaked havoc on North Carolina in a win in South Bend.
“Hidalgo was a real problem,” Tar Heels coach Courtney Banghart said on Sunday. “Obviously, she disrupted us in all ways, I think most of (Notre Dame’s) 27 points off turnovers was because of her. And then I thought offensively, she was able to really pick on all types of all screen coverages.’
Madison Booker
Texas, Jr., Forward
Booker is the bus-driver for Texas and second in win shares to only Strong while averaging 19.2 points, 7.3 rebounds and 4.1 assists per game. She’s shooting a career-best 51.8% from the floor and also averaging 2.6 steals per game.
Texas looks like a team capable of making the Final Four again and Booker’s play is a big reason. The Longhorns just endured their first loss of the season on Sunday, falling 70-65 at LSU, but Booker’s 24 points and seven rebounds kept them in the game.
Mikayla Blakes
Vanderbilt, Soph., Guard
Vanderbilt has climbed to No. 5 on the USA TODAY Sports women’s basketball coaches poll, thanks in large part to Mikayla Blakes. The 5-foot-8 guard has powered the Commodores to a 17-0 start, which matches the best in program history. Blakes leads the SEC with 24.9 points a game, ranked third in the nation. She has reached double-digit points in every game this season and has recorded four 30-point games, including a 32-point performance in Vanderbilt’s comeback victory over No. 5 LSU.
Audi Crooks
Iowa State, Jr., Center
Audi Crooks has been unstoppable this season. The 6-foot-3 center is leading the nation with 28.3 points per game, all while shooting a staggering 69.8% from the field, which ranks second in the country. Crooks has scored double-digit points in 83 straight games, the longest active streak in NCAA women’s basketball, and has surpassed the 40-point mark three times this season. The Cyclones opened the season 14-0, before stumbling in conference play. Iowa State dropped three consecutive games, although Crooks recorded double-doubles in each of those matchups. She’s up to seven double-doubles on the season.
Honorable mentions
- UCLA center Lauren Betts
- Richmond forward Maggie Doogan
- South Carolina forward Joyce Edwards
- UConn forward Azzi Fudd
- TCU guard Olivia Miles
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