Betts, Blakes and Strong headline 2025-26 USBWA Women's All-America Team – sportswriters.net

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INDIANAPOLIS (USBWA) — Senior center Lauren Betts of UCLA, sophomore guard Mikayla Blakes of Vanderbilt, graduate guard Azzi Fudd and sophomore forward Sarah Strong of UConn junior guard Hannah Hidalgo of Notre Dame headline the 2025-26 U.S. Basketball Writers Association Women’s All-America First Team.
The UConn duo has led the Huskies to a 34-0 regular season and the overall No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament.
Betts, a returning first-team USBWA All-American, has helped power UCLA’s to a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament, averaging 16.4 points and 8.2 rebounds per game and shooting 57.7 percent from the field. She is the Big Ten Player of the Year and was also an honorable mention All-American two seasons ago.
Blakes, the 2024-25 Tamika Catchings National Freshman Player of the Year, produced the most prolific scoring seasons in the country, leading the nation with 27.0 points per game, while adding 4.4 assists and 3.8 rebounds per contest. The sophomore guard is the SEC Player of the Year.
Fudd returned to full strength to lead UConn with 17.6 points per game while shooting 44.6 percent from three-point range, second in the country and 95.1 percent (39-for-41) from the free throw line.
Hidalgo earned her third USBWA All-America honor and second straight first team nod, averaging 25.2 points (3rd in the nation), 6.4 rebounds and 5.3 assists per game. The junior guard is the ACC Player of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year.
Strong, a third-team All-America selection a season ago, is enjoying a standout sophomore season by averaging 18.5 points, 7.5 rebounds and 4.1 assists per game, ranking among the Big East leaders in scoring and rebounding and giving unbeaten (34-0) Connecticut two players on the First Team.
Other returning honorees include Madison Booker of Texas, Audi Crooks of Iowa State, Rori Harmon of Texas, Flau'jae Johnson of LSU, Kiki Rice of UCLA and Olivia Miles of TCU, who was a second-teamer at Notre Dame last season. After twice earning honorable mention, Oklahoma's Raegan Beers was named to the third team with 15.7 points and 10.4 rebounds per game.
Headlining the second team. Crooks is the nation's second-leading scorer at 25.5 points per game to go with 7.8 rebounds per game. Booker is averaging career-highs in points (18.9), rebounds (6.5) steals (2.5) and field goal percentage (50.5). Jaloni Cambridge of Ohio State is scoring 22.8 points per game (7th) to go with 5.6 rebounds ad 4.6 assists per game. Joyce Edwards of South Carolina, has led the Gamecocks to a No. 1 seed as well, averaging 19.6 points, 6.3 rebounds and 2.4 assists per game while shooting 68.7 precent from the field. South Carolina is a one-seed for the sixth consecutive season.
For the second straight season, LSU guard Flau'jae Johnson has been named to the third team by the USBWA with he 13.2 points and 4.2 assists per game as eight of the ten All-SEC players were honored by the USBWA.
Third-teamer Toby Fournier led Duke to the ACC regular-season and conference titles with her 17.3 points and 8.2 rebounds per game. Olivia Olson averages 19.2 points for game for 25-6 Michigan and UCLA's Kiki Rice complements Betts with 15.6, 6.0 rebounds and 4.5 assists per game. Texas' Rori Harmon is the first and only player in NCAA Division I women's basketball to reach 1,500 points, 900 assists, 600 rebounds and 350 steals as she is the programs career leader in assist and steal.
Overall, six All-Americans are conference Players of the Year: Betts (Big Ten), Blakes (SEC), Hidalgo (ACC), Crooks (Big 12), Maggie Doogan of Richmond (Atlantic 10) and Brooklyn Meyer of the South Dakota State (Summit League). Meyer is 11th in the country with 22.4 points per game and Doogan is 14th with 21.0 points per game.
Including honorable mentions, Connecticut, UCLA, Texas and South Carolina Gamecocks women's basketball each placed two players on the 25-player All-America team.
The third team includes six players due to a tie in voting and nine players earned honorable mention, including Doonan and Meyer.
Following is the complete 2025-26 USBWA Women's All-America Team:
The U.S. Basketball Writers Association has selected a Women’s All-America Team annually since the 1987-88 season. The USBWA also presents the Ann Meyers Drysdale Award to the national player of the year and the Tamika Catchings Award to the nation’s top freshman.
The U.S. Basketball Writers Association was formed in 1956 at the urging of then-NCAA Executive Director Walter Byers. With some 900 members worldwide, it is one of the most influential organizations in college basketball. For more information on the USBWA and its award programs, contact executive director Malcolm Moran at 814-574-1485.
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