Women's College Basketball Player of the Year Rankings: Paige vs Juju lived up to the hype, plus Wildcard pick

Before we unplug for the holidays, let's take a look at who is in the women's college basketball Player of the Year conversation:

Paige Bueckers, UConn

The redshirt senior was the presumed player of the year before the season even started, and while many players have rose to her level, she is still maintaining her excellence. Bueckers has always had basketball IQ beyond her years, and it's even more apparent now as she leads a UConn team with many young talents.

While the Huskies have just dropped to the No. 7 spot in the AP polls, it's not because Bueckers has done anything different. She is averaging 20.8 points per game through 12 games, along with 4.5 rebounds, 3.8 assists and 2.0 steals. She's also averaging a career-high 1.19 points per possession, per Her Hoops Stats. She also has a career-high effective field goal percentage of 63.4%, which accounts for the value of three-point attempts.

In UConn's recent loss to USC, the Huskies were able to come back from a double digit deficit in the second half, led by Bueckers. Her ability to shoot tough shots with multiple defenders on her is what keeps UConn in some of these games.

Juju Watkins, USC

It's Juju season, and we are all just here to witness it. The sophomore waltzed into Connecticut and delivered a legendary performance in front of one of the most hostile crowds in sports. USC bounced back to No. 4 in the rankings after beating UConn, a sign of how much that win was worth to voters. USC is now 11-1 as they head into Big-10 conference play.

Watkins had an impressive statline in Connecticut, with 25 points, six rebounds, five assists, three blocks and one steal. She also shot 75% from three-point range. She's currently averaging 24.8 points, 5.8 rebounds, 3.8 assists through 12 games. Her defensive rating is 66.5 as well, which is in the 99th percentile among women's college basketball.

Safe to say Watkins has successfully made the leap from freshman to sophomore year. With a pretty new team around her, given that USC picked up Kiki Iriafen in the transfer portal and then went on to attract the best recruiting class in the country, it's taken them a little to build chemistry. Yet, with Juju on the team they will always be a threat. That chemistry progress was apparent in their game against UConn. Now that Watkins has a season under her belt and knows what to expect, there is no doubt she will continue to show out in big moments.

Wildcard: Khamil Pierre, Vanderbilt

This week's wildcard pick comes from a Vanderbilt team that is rising in notoriety among college basketball. They are currently 12-1 this season, with wins against South Florida, Miami, and Arizona standing out. Khamil Pierre is averaging 22.2 points per game along with 11.5 rebounds per game and 3.9 steals. She shoots 58.6% from the field.

At 6-foot-2 and still a sophomore, Pierre's ceiling is super high. She's scored a double-double in every game but 2 so far this season, with her best game being a 42-point, 18 rebounds performance against Evansville.

The college basketball world is obviously sleeping on Khamil Pierre, but a stacked SEC conference schedule will allow her to show off her savvy in the coming months. It will definitely be difficult against teams like South Carolina, Tennessee, LSU, and the SEC powerful, but what Vanderbilt is building is special. Pierre will certainly gain some new fans as we progress into conference play.