The race for the women’s College Player of the Year award is heating up between UConn guard Paige Bueckers and USC guard JuJu Watkins. As it stands right now, who has the edge in the race for the historic award?
UConn Huskies Star Paige Bueckers Is Balling
Paige Bueckers previously won the National Player of the Year Award in 2021 and is already a two-time All-American. This season, she has shown up and shown out for her UConn Huskies.
The Minnesota native is averaging at least 18.0 points per game for the third time in her collegiate career.
HER.
Paige Bueckers is the BIG EAST Player of the Year! pic.twitter.com/nfP7tKyx59
— UConn Women’s Basketball (@UConnWBB) March 6, 2025
She is also averaging a career-high in field-goal percentage (53.4%) and is also averaging over 5.0 assists and 2.0 steals per game at the same time for the second time in her career.
The Huskies are also in a great position to contend for a national title. Currently the No. 3 team in the country, the Huskies are 28-3 overall and unbeaten in conference play (18-0). Bueckers is the driving force behind one of America’s best teams.
JuJu Watkins Continues To ‘Wow’ Fans, Analysts
On the other hand, USC standout JuJu Watkins is playing out of her mind for the Trojans. She is averaging a whopping 24.4 points, 6.7 rebounds per game, and 3.6 assists per game.
If LeBron James, Luka Doncic, and the Lakers weren’t showing out, Watkins and Co. would be the talk of the town in L.A. As it stands right now, the second-ranked Trojans have an overall record of 26-2 (17-1 in conference).
Not only are Watkins’s numbers slightly more impressive than Bueckers’s, but her team might be slightly.
KEEP READING: JuJu Watkins Dominates Voting, Earns Big Ten Player of the Year Award
It appears as though Watkins could have the inside track to winning the award, but there is still plenty of time for both to make statements with the postseason being here. It will be interesting to see how deep of a run both teams can go on this month.
If Bueckers takes her team farther despite not having more impressive numbers, could she still take home the award?
It all depends on what matters more: individual numbers or team success. Based on these metrics, Watkins could be the No. 1 contender for the award at this point in time.
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