Ranking the top underclass guards in women's March Madness

Listen to five minutes of March Madness coverage and one of the tenets of the NCAA tournament will undoubtedly come up: Teams must have good guard play.

Young guards have been key all season in women’s college basketball. Some are about to play their first NCAA tournament game. Others got a taste of the big stage last year and are eager to take the next step.

UConn sophomore forward Sarah Strong might be the front-runner for national player of the year, but these 10 high-impact sophomore and freshman guards are expected to play big roles for their teams. Their skills and decisions will be tested in the most pressure-packed environment.

We look at their strengths, their best games this season and a comparable pro player. (WNBA player comparisons are listed with the teams they most recently played for, but several are free agents.) These players are not at that level yet, but don’t be surprised to see them with the ball in crunch time of the NCAA tournament, looking to take the shot, make the pass or grab the rebound that could decide which team advances.

NCAA opener: No. 2 Vanderbilt vs. No. 15 High Point, 7 p.m. ET on Saturday, ESPNews

Stats: 27.0 PPG, 3.8 RPG, 4.0 APG, 2.9 SPG

Best game this season: The 5-foot-8 sophomore’s season high was 38 points, but perhaps her most masterful performance was in a 102-86 victory over Oklahoma on Feb. 9. She had 34 points on 13-of-23 shooting, with six assists, four rebounds and two steals.

Comparable pro: Kelsey Plum, Los Angeles Sparks

Biggest strengths: Similar to Plum, who scored 3,527 points in her college career at Washington, Blakes can score from anywhere and against any game plan. Facing some of the best defenses in the country in the SEC, she averaged 30.5 points in league play. Blakes, who had a 55-point game and a 53-point performance as a freshman, scored 26 as Vanderbilt lost 77-73 to Oregon in overtime in the first round of the NCAA tournament last season. This season, after an upset loss in the SEC quarterfinals to Ole Miss, Blakes is eager to show how good Vanderbilt can be.

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NCAA opener: No. 3 Ohio State vs. No. 14 Howard, 11:30 a.m. ET on Saturday, ESPN2

Stats: 22.8 PPG, 5.6 RPG, 4.6 APG, 1.9 SPG

Best game this season: The 5-7 sophomore had 41 points on 60% shooting, with six rebounds and six assists in a 78-69 win at Illinois on Jan. 7.

Comparable pro: Kelsey Mitchell, Indiana Fever

Biggest strengths: It only makes sense to compare Cambridge to a Buckeyes legend. Similar to Mitchell, who is the program’s career scoring leader (3,402 points), Cambridge brings a lot to the table. She scored 30 or more points six times this season and had 13 games with six or more assists. Jaloni and her sister, junior guard Kennedy Cambridge (3.9 SPG), are keys to Ohio State’s defense. Last season, Ohio State advanced to the NCAA’s second round, where Cambridge scored 19 points in a loss to Tennessee.

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NCAA opener: No. 2 Michigan vs. No. 15 Holy Cross, 5:30 p.m. ET on Friday, ESPN2

Stats: 19.2 PPG, 6.2 RPG, 2.6 APG, 1.8 SPG

Best game this season: The 6-1 sophomore scored 31 points on 50% shooting, with nine rebounds and four assists in an 88-86 overtime victory against Ohio State on Feb. 25.

Comparable pro: Rhyne Howard, Atlanta Dream

Biggest strengths: Similar to Howard, Olson is a big, strong guard who can hold her own in the paint. Part of Michigan’s “super sophomore” class, Olson and Ohio State’s Cambridge tied for the Big Ten’s freshman of the year award in 2025. Olson led the Wolverines to the second round of the NCAA tournament last year, scoring 20 points in a 76-55 loss to Notre Dame. This season, she led the Wolverines to a tie for second in the Big Ten. She also had 18 points and 10 rebounds in Michigan’s 72-69 loss to UConn in November, the closest any team has played the Huskies this season.

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NCAA opener: No. 4 Oklahoma vs. No. 13 Idaho, 10 p.m. ET on Friday, ESPN2

Stats: 18.4 PPG, 3.8 RPG, 4.2 APG, 1.5 SPG

Best game this season: The 5-10 freshman had 26 points, eight assists and four rebounds in a 94-82 victory over South Carolina on Jan. 22. It was the Gamecocks’ only loss in SEC regular-season play.

Comparable pro: Chelsea Gray, Las Vegas Aces

Biggest strengths: Oklahoma is the only team among the tournament’s top 16 seeds that is led in scoring by a freshman. Chavez also leads the way in assists and 3-pointers (77). Gray is known for her clutch shooting and passing; she always wants the ball in pressure situations to either score or set up her teammates. Chavez, even though she is so young in her career, has shown a willingness to do that, too.

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NCAA opener: No. 9 USC vs. No. 8 Clemson, 3:30 p.m. ET on Saturday, ESPN2

Stats: 17.6 PPG, 5.7 RPG, 4.2 APG, 2.0 SPG

Best game this season: She had a season-high 32 points in a loss to Ohio State on Feb. 22, but her best all-around performance was 27 points, eight rebounds and eight assists in a 70-62 win at Illinois on Feb. 8.

Comparable pro: Jackie Young, Las Vegas Aces

Biggest strengths: Davidson can do it all, much like Young, who was the No. 1 pick in the 2019 WNBA draft out of Notre Dame and has won three WNBA titles with the Aces. Davidson has had to carry a big load as a freshman because star JuJu Watkins (knee) is out this season, and Davidson has done it well. She is shooting 27.9% from 3-point range, an area she is likely to improve. She has already made 51 treys as a freshman. Young made just 36 in her three-season college career but has become a strong 3-point shooter during the past four years with Las Vegas.

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NCAA opener: No. 2 Vanderbilt vs. No. 15 High Point, 7 p.m. ET on Saturday, ESPNews

Stats: 13.1 PPG, 3.3 RPG, 5.9 APG, 2.6 SPG

Best game this season: The 5-6 freshman had a season-high 30 points in a 102-86 win over Oklahoma on Feb. 9. But she showed her versatility with 16 points, 15 assists and nine steals in a 99-43 win over Tennessee State on Nov. 23.

Comparable pro: Veronica Burton, Golden State Valkyries

Biggest strengths: Galvan, who has been a great complement to Blakes in Vanderbilt’s backcourt, was named SEC freshman of the year by the coaches. Similar to Burton, a former Northwestern standout who became the WNBA’s Most Improved Player this past season, Galvan elevates her teammates’ level of play and does whatever is needed. She was fifth in the SEC in assists per game and assist-to-turnover ratio, and seventh in steals.

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NCAA opener: No. 7 Georgia vs. winner of Nos. 10 Arizona State-Virginia, 1:30 p.m. ET on Saturday, ESPN2

Stats: 18.1 PPG, 5.3 RPG, 3.2 APG, 1.5 SPG

Best game this season: In an 82-59 victory over Ole Miss on Jan. 18, the 5-9 sophomore had 32 points while shooting 64.7% with 11 rebounds and three assists.

Comparable pro: Jewell Loyd, Las Vegas Aces

Biggest strengths: Carnegie starred as a freshman at Georgia Tech, where she was the ACC sixth player of the year last season. She transferred to Georgia and was on the all-SEC first team this season. Similar to Loyd, the Notre Dame star who was drafted No. 1 in 2015, Carnegie is a talented scorer and a well-rounded player. Carnegie made 66 3-pointers last season and has 84 this season.

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NCAA opener: No. 2 Michigan vs. No. 15 Holy Cross, 4:30 p.m. ET on Friday, ESPN2

Stats: 14.5 PPG, 4.2 RPG, 2.5 APG, 1.6 SPG

Best game this season: In a 72-69 loss to UConn on Nov. 21, the 6-foot sophomore had 29 points, nine rebounds and three assists, hitting 8 of 14 3-pointers.

Comparable pro: Allisha Gray, Atlanta Dream

Biggest strengths: Swords joined her teammate Olson on the all-Big Ten first team and is part of the sophomore class that has already made its mark at Michigan. Swords has 145 3-pointers in her two seasons. Similar to Gray, she has the skill to take over — as she did against UConn — but she also can fill in whatever role best serves the team each game. In the NCAA tournament last season, Swords had 11 points, nine rebounds, six assists and four steals in a win over Iowa State, and then 17 points and six rebounds in a loss to Notre Dame.

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NCAA opener: No. 6 Baylor vs. winner of Nos. 11 Nebraska-Richmond, 2 p.m. ET on Friday, ESPN

Stats: 20.0 PPG, 2.6 RPG, 2.9 APG, 1.2 SPG

Best game this season: The 5-9 sophomore had a season-high 32 points in a November loss to Iowa, but her best all-around game was 25 points, six rebounds and five assists in a 69-58 win at BYU on Jan. 17.

Comparable pro: Arike Ogunbowale, Dallas Wings

Biggest strengths: Scott is in her third year of college but is a redshirt sophomore, having played just three games last season at Auburn and 20 as a freshman at Arkansas because of injuries. She was healthy most of this season at Baylor, playing 31 games and making the all-Big 12 first team. Similar to former Notre Dame star Ogunbowale, Scott is a talented and consistent scorer who can carry a team. She has 80 3-pointers this season.

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NCAA opener: No. 10 Villanova vs. No. 7 Texas Tech, 8:30 p.m. ET on Friday, ESPNU

Stats: 18.8 PPG, 4.0 RPG, 4.8 APG, 2.0 SPG

Best game this season: The 5-7 sophomore dominated every part of an 82-52 victory at Seton Hall on Feb. 25, finishing with 28 points, eight steals, seven assists and five rebounds. She also had 26 points, nine rebounds and seven assists in an 83-69 loss to UConn on Feb. 18.

Comparable pro: Jordin Canada, Atlanta Dream

Biggest strengths: Bascoe led the Wildcats to second place in the Big East, the league tournament championship game and helped them stay close against unbeaten UConn in the Huskies’ smallest margin of victory against a conference foe this season. She faced the Huskies three times, which should prepare her for the NCAA tournament. She has been all-Big East first team both seasons. Bascoe is a strong scorer and playmaker, traits that former UCLA standout Canada also possesses.