Paige Bueckers and JuJu Watkins: Wooden Award Finalists and Their Journey to the Final Four
As the excitement builds for the upcoming Final Four, the spotlight is shining brightly on some of the most talented players in women’s college basketball. Among them, Paige Bueckers of UConn, Lauren Betts of UCLA, and Madison Booker of Texas are making headlines as finalists for the prestigious Wooden Award. This award is given to the most outstanding player in women’s college basketball, and this year’s competition is fierce.
Joining them in the race for the Wooden Award are Hannah Hidalgo from Notre Dame and JuJu Watkins from USC. The announcement of these finalists was made on Tuesday on ESPN, and the winner will be revealed later in April.
These five players have also been named to the Wooden All-American team, which includes other standout athletes such as Georgia Amoore from Kentucky, Ta’Niya Latson from Florida State, Olivia Miles from Notre Dame, Aneesah Morrow from LSU, and Hailey Van Lith from TCU.
Paige Bueckers, who previously won the Wooden Award in 2021 as a freshman, is on a mission to secure her first national title. Her UConn Huskies have made an impressive 16th Final Four appearance in the past 17 seasons. Bueckers has already announced her intention to declare for the WNBA draft after the season, where she is expected to be the No. 1 pick.
Meanwhile, Lauren Betts and the UCLA Bruins are making history by reaching their first Final Four in program history. As the No. 1 overall seed, they are set to face UConn on Friday at 9 p.m. ET on ESPN. On the other side of the bracket, Madison Booker and the Texas Longhorns are making their first Final Four appearance since 2003. They will take on South Carolina on Friday at 7 p.m. ET on ESPN.
Unfortunately, JuJu Watkins, who was considered a front-runner for player of the year, suffered a season-ending ACL tear in the second round of the NCAA tournament. Despite this setback, the USC Trojans advanced to the Elite Eight before being defeated by Bueckers and the Huskies.
In other news, two players from the All-America list, Ta’Niya Latson and Olivia Miles, have announced their intention to enter the transfer portal. Miles’ decision came as a surprise, as she was projected to be the No. 2 draft pick this year. However, she has chosen to forgo the draft and switch schools.
- Paige Bueckers: UConn Huskies
- Lauren Betts: UCLA Bruins
- Madison Booker: Texas Longhorns
- Hannah Hidalgo: Notre Dame Fighting Irish
- JuJu Watkins: USC Trojans
As we eagerly await the announcement of the Wooden Award winner, the anticipation for the Final Four matchups is palpable. With so much talent on display, this year’s tournament promises to be one for the ages.
Originally Written by: Kendra Andrews
