The Naismith Awards announced the 2025 Naismith Women’s College Defensive Player of the Year Semifinalists Tuesday, headlined by superstars Lauren Betts from UCLA and JuJu Watkins from USC.
Among the other names on the list include rebounds leader Aneesah Morrow of LSU and FSU’s Makayla Timpson who finished the season third in blocks per game.
Naismith Awards: Who Are the 2025 Women’s Defensive Player of the Year Semifinalists?
| NAME | CLASS | POS | SCHOOL | CONFERENCE |
| Lauren Betts | Junior | C | UCLA | Big Ten |
| Talaysia Cooper | Sophomore | G | Tennessee | SEC |
| Rori Harmon | Senior | G | Texas | SEC |
| Hannah Hidalgo | Sophomore | G | Notre Dame | ACC |
| Aneesah Morrow | Senior | G | LSU | SEC |
| Sedona Prince | Senior | C | TCU | Big 12 |
| JJ Quinerly | Senior | G | West Virginia | Big 12 |
| Taylor Thierry | Senior | F | Ohio State | Big Ten |
| Makayla Timpson | Senior | F | Florida State | ACC |
| JuJu Watkins | Sophomore | G | USC | Big Ten |
In a list full of superstars, a few missing names stand out.
Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders senior center Anastasiia Boldyreva leads women’s college basketball in blocks with 3.8 per game — a full half block above Georgia State Panthers senior forward Mahogany Matthews, who also missed the list — was not awarded a semifinalist spot. The Moscow, Russia native also hauled in nearly 10 rebounds per game.
Two other notable players missing were the Nigerian born Southern Illinois Salukis junior forward Gift Uchenna and UT Rio Grande Valley Vaqueros junior forward Charlotte O’Keefe. Ranked second and third in rebounds per game in the NCAA respectively, some were surprised the duo was snubbed.
Notably, only players from Power 4 schools were put up for the award.
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Four of the ten semi-finalists will be announced as finalists on Monday, March 18, one day before the First Four tips off. The winner will be announced on Wednesday, April 2, two days before the Final Four.
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