CBS Sports has released its ranking of the top 10 women's college basketball players for the 2026-27 season, with UConn's Sarah Strong claiming the No. 1 spot. The list highlights the sport's most impactful players ahead of a season that began on Nov. 1 with Notre Dame's 99-75 victory over Villanova in Rome, Italy.
Strong, the 2026 Naismith Player of the Year, averaged 18.4 points, 7.7 rebounds, 3.8 assists, 3.4 steals and 1.6 blocks per game while shooting 58.2% from the field and over 40% from three-point range. Coach Geno Auriemma noted she played through an Achilles tendon issue sustained during 3x3 play for USA Basketball in Mongolia in summer 2025.
Notre Dame's Hannah Hidalgo ranks second after leading the Fighting Irish to the Elite Eight with averages of 25.3 points, 6.9 rebounds, 5.2 assists and a Division I single-season record 5.6 steals per game. She also won Naismith Defensive Player of the Year.
USC's JuJu Watkins returns at No. 3 after missing the 2025-26 season recovering from an ACL tear suffered in the 2025 NCAA Tournament. The 2024-25 Naismith Player of the Year previously set the Division I freshman scoring record with 920 points in 2023-24.
The top 10 also includes Vanderbilt's Mikayla Blakes (No. 4), Texas's Madison Booker (No. 5), South Carolina's Joyce Edwards (No. 6), Ohio State's Jaloni Cambridge (No. 7), Oklahoma State's Audi Crooks (No. 8), Michigan's Olivia Olson (No. 9) and Duke's Toby Fournier (No. 10).
Blakes led the nation in scoring at 27.1 points per game as a sophomore, setting an NCAA Division I sophomore single-season record with 918 total points. Crooks transferred to Oklahoma State after averaging 25.8 points on 64.9% shooting for Iowa State, including a 47-point game against Indiana.
