Our 6 favorite women's March Madness players, from Paige Bueckers to Harmoni Turner
Editor's note: Follow Women's March Madness live updates and scores from Friday's first-round action.
Who is your favorite player in the 2025 women's NCAA Tournament? There's so much talent across the March Madness bracket to make any hoops head pumped about the action ahead.
So we asked our Paste BN Sports Network experts to weigh in. Some players on this list – Hello, Paige Bueckers – are unsurprising. Others are also walking buckets, like Harvard's Harmoni Turner and Florida State's Ta’Niya Latson. All are exhilarating hoopers on a mission this March.
So, here are our favorite players in the women's bracket.
Women's March Madness favorites: Best players in NCAA Tournament
Paige Bueckers, UConn
How could it be anyone but Bueckers? She’s arguably the best player in the country. This is her last shot to get a championship. I’m eager to see if she can do it. — Mike Sykes, For The Win
The 2025 WNBA draft isn't called the Paige Bueckers sweepstakes for nothing. In her last NCAA Tournament, a healthy Bueckers looks to lead the Huskies to the Final Four for the fourth time in her career. She has the game, experience and supporting cast to do so. — Cydney Henderson, Paste BN
Bueckers, averaging 19 points per game, is in her swan song. She has helped UConn to three Final Fours, and she’s on a mission to bring them another national championship. It’s now or never for Bueckers, so it’ll be fun to see what she can bring to this March Madness. — Maxwell Donaldson, Gadsden Times
Bueckers has been one of the faces of Women’s March Madness for several years and has contributed a lot to the game. She’s been through so much in her career, and she has one last shot to bring a national championship back to UConn. — Jenna Ortiz, Arizona Republic
Stream women's NCAA Tournament games on Fubo
Harmoni Turner, Harvard
When Turner gets in a groove, it’s breathtaking. Take Harvard’s game against Princeton in the Ivy Madness semifinals. A school-record 44 points and 7-of-11 shooting from 3-point range. — Nancy Armour, Paste BN
Her 22.5 points per game this season don't fully show how dynamic and electric of a scorer she is. She averages 5.4 rebounds and 3.4 assists per game as well, and she scores, passes and dominates with ease. She went 7-for-13 from the 3-point line and scored 44 points on March 14. If she carries that energy into March Madness, she will shock a lot of defenders. — Lulu Kesin, Greenville News
Kennedy Smith, USC
JuJu Watkins gets all the attention but keep your eye out on this star freshman. Smith is an incredible on-ball defender, and her intense defense causes bad passes. Offensively, she always gets open on the perimeter and can knock down devastating 3-pointers. — Jordan Mendoza, Paste BN
Ta’Niya Latson, Florida State
Latson has only gotten better since winning National Freshman of the Year in 2023. If you’re unfamiliar with the nation’s leading scorer (24.9 points per game), just look up Latson’s game-winning buzzer-beater against North Carolina from Jan. 26 and you’ll understand. — Cora Hall, Knoxville News Sentinel
Sonia Citron, Notre Dame
Hannah Hidalgo and Olivia Miles deservedly get a ton of attention, but Citron is typically right there, too, quietly working in the background. So much of what Citron does — deflections, steals, clogging lanes — goes unnoticed until you turn on the tape. Did I mention she’s a big-time shooter, too? — Meghan Hall, For The Win
Hailey Van Lith, TCU
There may not be a better individual player story in March Madness than HVL’s reset. A rollercoaster of a season at LSU loop-de-looped her to re-enter the transfer portal, and she’s rediscovered herself with the Horned Frogs. Van Lith is back to her old self — her Louisville “Have fun in Miami” days — and she’s lifted TCU to new heights. — Cory Diaz, The Daily Advertiser
Women's March Madness schedule
- First Four: March 19-20
- First round: March 21-22
- Second round: March 23-24
- Sweet 16: March 28-29
- Elite Eight: March 30-31
- Final Four: Friday, April 4 (both semifinals; first game begins at 7 p.m. ET)
- NCAA championship: Sunday, April 6 (Game scheduled for 3 p.m. ET)
Where to watch Women's March Madness
All games will be televised on the ESPN family of networks, which includes ABC, ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU, and ESPNews. Games can be streamed on Fubo, which is offering a free trial to new subscribers.