14. Paige Bueckers
- UConn Huskies | G | 5-foot-11 | freshman
- 2019-20 stats: N/A (was in high school)
She hasn't played a college game yet, but the résumé already looks full: 2020 Gatorade Female Athlete of the Year, Naismith Prep Player of the Year, three-time Minnesota Player of the Year. Perhaps most impressive, she has already received praise from coach Geno Auriemma about her play in practice. That's quite an accomplishment for a freshman in Storrs. Her court vision and passing talents should stand out immediately. Most expect Bueckers and her good friend Azzi Fudd, the top-ranked recruit for 2021 who arrives next year, will take the Huskies to their next era of dominance. --
Charlie Creme
15. Arella Guirantes
We can't know how long Rutgers would have lasted in the NCAA tournament last spring, but Guirantes made clear throughout the season that she was ready for such a national showcase. After starting her college career at Texas Tech and filling an ensemble role in her first season on the court for Rutgers, she emerged last season as one of the most dependable go-to players in the Big Ten. She dramatically increased her 3-point efficiency and got to the free throw line more often than anyone in the league. --
Graham Hays
17. Lindsey Pulliam
Excluding UConn's final romp through the American Athletic Conference, no player whose team won or shared a major conference championship a season ago averaged more points per game than Pulliam. And while her field goal percentage (38.6% in 2019-20) won't necessarily wow you, her ball control and 3-point efficiency (42-for-120) make her much more than merely a volume shooter. The Wildcats were one of college basketball's best stories last season, and you couldn't write the story without her growth into a star. --
Graham Hays
24. Naz Hillmon
This spot might sell the Big Ten preseason player of the year short, but the more important and undisputed consensus is that Michigan has one of the best players in the country. Perhaps its best ever, Katelynn Flaherty, Stacey Thomas, Hallie Thome and others notwithstanding. Among the most impressive parts of her game is that someone so good with her back to the basket on the low block -- so relentless inside that she led the Big Ten in offensive rebounds -- was still second on the team in assists as a sophomore. --
Graham Hays
25. Ali Patberg
- Indiana Hoosiers | G | 5-foot-11 | sixth-year senior
- Stats: 15.6 PPG, 5.3 APG, 4.6 RPG
It was a long journey for Patberg, who was ranked three spots behind Arike Ogunbowale in her recruiting class way back when but sat out as a transfer and battled injuries. She has carved a place for herself at Indiana as one of the most important players in program history. She ranked in the top seven in the Big Ten a season ago in scoring, assists, assist-to-turnover ratio, free throw percentage and even field goal percentage -- the only guard included in that last group. All while playing with the sustained intensity of someone who waited for her time to come. --
Graham Hays
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