Women's college basketball National Player of the Year Power Rankings

2. JuJu Watkins, USC

USC freshman Juju Watkins came off a Naismith High School POTY honor just last year and winning this award in her first collegiate season would make her the second person to win a high school and college award consecutively within the past five years, along with Paige Bueckers. 

The freshman hailing from Sierra Canyon is ranked seventh in the nation in points per game with 27.7, a remarkable number. A 50-burger just a few weeks back put her at the top of the record books for the most points scored in a top-25 matchup. Watkins has a chance to prove herself as one of the biggest names in women’s hoops. If she were to land the NPOY honor, she’d be the first player in a Trojan uniform to win in 30 years.

1. Caitlin Clark, Iowa

Coming off a record-breaking performance to put her as the highest-scoring women’s Division I athlete of all time, Caitlin Clark is a leading candidate to collect her potential second NPOY title. Her offensive methodology is reminiscent of a Vandersloot-Azzi hybrid with a release quicker than you can hear Mike Breen say “Bang” for a dagger three. 

To add, her willingness to be more head-on in her offensive approach makes her a notable athlete who shows a difference between guards of the past and guards of the current. Clark is no stranger to the Naismith watch list. After winning last season, she’s a likely nominee to snag the award back-to-back, which hasn’t happened since 2014-16 when Breanna Stewart collected the award three times. With the only two tasks left on her to-do list being to secure a ring and declare for the draft, it would be simply egregious not to see the senior in the next round of finalists for the award in the coming weeks.