ESPN ranked the top 25 players in women’s college basketball, and they’re not as high on the UCLA Bruins as a lot of the WNBA mock draft community is. There were only two Bruins listed in the ranking, with a lot of the Big Ten Conference being overlooked.
The list was put together by ESPN’s Michael Voepel and Charlie Creme, who put sophomore Sarah Strong as the top player in the sport. After helping UConn win a national title last year, it seems fair to give the top spot to a Husky. Strong’s teammate, Azzi Fudd was ranked No. 4.
Between Strong and Fudd was Texas’ Madison Booker, who gave UCLA their only loss of the season and Vanderbilt’s Mikayla Blakes. Then surely Lauren Betts is No. 5, right? Nope! That’d be TCU’s Olivia Miles. After Miles we get to Betts at No. 6, who’s been playing her best basketball of the season lately.
“Betts didn’t play as well offensively as she would have liked in November, scoring in single digits in three games against ranked teams. That included eight points in the Bruins’ lone loss, 76-65 to Texas on Nov. 26,” Voepel wrote. “But that’s in the rearview mirror; she has recorded double-doubles in six of UCLA’s last eight games. Her 18 points, 10 rebounds, 5 steals and 4 blocks in Jan. 11’s 83-61 victory at Nebraska showed how much she can impact a game.”
Kiki Rice was the other Bruin named, who’s down at No. 19 below USC’s Jazzy Davidson for some reason. The addition of Gianna Kneepkens hurt Rice and Betts’ scoring numbers but it made the Bruins a better team. The fewer points per game apparently drops their values in lists like these, but it’s helped UCLA get off to a 16-1 start to the season. Ohio State’s Jaloni Cambridge is another Big Ten player flying under the radar, with ESPN ranking the sophomore at No. 24, despite Cambridge putting up better numbers and playing on a better team than Davidson.
“In the era of the transfer portal, Rice is a rarity — a player who has started all four years at one school. She has become the face of the Bruins in the most successful run in program history, and is also on pace to have her best season,” Creme wrote. “Being able to share point guard duties with Charlisse Leger-Walker has helped Rice score more, and do it more efficiently. If the Bruins are to make a return trip to the Final Four, it will be on the back of Rice’s leadership.”
Regardless of what ESPN’s rankings say, UCLA should feel quite confident with their senior duo as they enter into the stretch run of their college careers, looking to deliver a first-ever NCAA title to the program.
This article originally appeared on UCLA Wire: Five players better than Lauren Betts? ESPN’s rankings say so
Reporting by Dylan McNeill, UCLA Wire / UCLA Wire
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
