The Players We’re Watching This College Basketball Season

College basketball is nearly back! There’s plenty to be excited about. From familiar faces making their return to freshmen looking to make a name for themselves, here’s who we’re keeping an eye on ahead of the 2026–27 season.

There’s something quite exciting about the start of a new college basketball season. Maybe it’s the new faces bound to become fan favourites, returning rivals or the fact that every team gets to start again with a clean slate. Whatever it is, we’re ready for it.

If we’re judging by the last few years, we already know that women’s basketball knows how to put on a show.

Over the years we’ve watched college athletes become household names and build fanbases that follow them all the way into the WNBA. With more eyes on the women’s game than ever before, there’s a lot to look forward to this season.

Here at Hoops Across the Pond, we’ve picked out a handful of players we’re particularly excited to follow. Some you’ll already know very well, while others might be names you haven’t come across just yet.

Either way, we think they’re worth keeping an eye on.

JuJu Watkins | USC Trojans

A comeback worth waiting for

Because who else would top this list?

JuJu Watkins has been one of the biggest names in college basketball since before she even arrived at USC and after spending the 2025–26 season recovering from an ACL injury, her return is understandably one of the biggest talking points heading into the new campaign.

Watkins had already established herself as one of the most exciting scorers in the country prior to the injury sustained during the 2025 NCAA Tournament. She had a way of making people stop whatever they were doing to watch USC play. Whether it was putting up ridiculous numbers or delivering in the biggest moments, JuJu on the court was bound to be worth watching.

But this season is going to look a little different.

First of all, she’ll be returning to competitive basketball after a significant period away. Anyone who’s followed an athlete returning from a serious injury knows that the physical recovery is usually the easy part. Finding your rhythm again, trusting your body and adjusting to the pace of competitive games can take time.

It’ll also be interesting to see how Watkins fits alongside some of USC’s newer talent, particularly Jazzy Davidson, whom she coached from the sideline much of last season, and incoming freshman Saniyah Hall.

There’s no doubt about what Watkins is capable of when she’s at her best. The question is how quickly we’ll see that version of her again. Perhaps more importantly for USC fans, it’s a question of whether this team can turn all that talent into a serious championship run.

What we’re watching: How Watkins settles back into competitive basketball and whether USC can make the most of its incredibly talented roster.

Sarah Strong | UConn Huskies

How do you follow a season like that?

Sarah Strong is one of those players who makes basketball look annoyingly easy. To call her a rising star would simply feel disrespectful.

After another outstanding season at UConn, she’s firmly established herself among the best players in college basketball. Considering how much she’s already achieved, it’s slightly ridiculous that she’s only heading into her junior year.

Strong averaged 18.4 points, 7.7 rebounds, 3.4 steals and 1.6 blocks per game during the 2025–26 season. National Player of the Year. Naismith Trophy winner. AP Player of the Year.

But numbers and accolades don’t tell the whole story.

What makes Strong such a joy to watch is how much she can control a game without necessarily being the loudest player on the court. She can score, rebound, defend, create opportunities for her teammates and somehow make it all look effortless.

Heading into this season, it’ll be interesting to see whether she can take her game even further. Defences will know what to expect, and there will be plenty of pressure on her to continue producing at the same level.

Of course, this is UConn we’re talking about. Expectations are hardly anything new.

But with Strong leading the way, there’s every reason to believe the Huskies will once again be right in the conversation when March comes around.

What we’re watching: Whether Strong can build on her remarkable sophomore season and continue making her case as the best player in college basketball.

Clara Bielefeld | TCU Horned Frogs

One for the international basketball fans

This one feels a little more personal for us.

Earlier this year, Hoops Across the Pond travelled to Berlin to cover the FIBA Women’s Basketball World Cup. To say the least, watching Germany’s journey to the final four at a home tournament was pretty special.

The atmosphere throughout the WWC was incredible. German fans turned up for their team and there was a real sense of excitement about what the future of women’s basketball could look like in the country.

Among the players representing that future was 19-year-old Clara Bielefeld, who had the opportunity to experience international basketball alongside some of the country’s most established players.

One of the things we took away from our time in Berlin was just how important tournaments like these can be for younger players. While the attention naturally falls on the big names, there’s also a generation of talent gaining experience that could shape their careers for years to come.

For Clara, the next step in her journey takes her back to Texas.

She’s heading into her sophomore season at TCU, where she’ll be looking to continue developing and hopefully establish a bigger role within the Horned Frogs’ rotation.

Her combination of height, guard skills and international experience makes her an intriguing prospect.

At 6-foot-4, Bielefeld possesses the kind of positional size that can create matchup problems, while her background within the German basketball system brings a different dimension to her development.

Of course, there’s a difference between international experience and earning consistent minutes in a competitive college programme.

That’s what makes this season so interesting.

She’s not entering the season with the same national spotlight as Watkins or Strong, but that doesn’t make her development any less worth following.

For fans outside the United States, particularly across Europe, these are exactly the stories that deserve more attention.

Having experienced Germany’s World Cup campaign first-hand, it’ll be exciting to follow one of its young players as she continues finding her feet in the college game.

What we’re watching: Whether Bielefeld can take on more responsibility at TCU and use her international experience to continue developing her game.

Aaliyah Chavez | Oklahoma Sooners

The difficult second season

If you followed Oklahoma last season, chances are you’re already familiar with Aaliyah Chavez.

And if you didn’t, you might want to change that.

Chavez wasted very little time introducing herself to college basketball, averaging 18.4 points, 4.2 assists and 3.8 rebounds per game as a freshman.

For a player in her first year competing at this level, those are seriously impressive numbers.

What stood out the most throughout the season was her confidence. Chavez didn’t play like a freshman trying to find her place. She looked comfortable taking responsibility, making big plays and competing against players with considerably more experience.

There’s always a conversation about whether a player can follow up an incredible debut season. Opponents have had time to study her game and she’s no longer the new face surprising everyone, which means in turn expectations can grow.

That doesn’t necessarily mean her second year will be more difficult, but it does mean she’ll be facing a different kind of challenge.

For Oklahoma, having a player capable of creating her own shot and taking over games is a huge advantage. If Chavez can continue improving her decision-making and consistency, there’s no reason she can’t become one of the standout guards in the country.

We’re particularly interested to see how she handles the extra attention.

What we’re watching: How Chavez builds on her freshman year and whether she can take another step towards becoming one of college basketball’s elite guards.

Saniyah Hall | USC Trojans

A freshman with plenty of eyes on her

Not many freshmen arrive at college with the level of attention surrounding Saniyah Hall.

Ranked as the top recruit in the 2026 class, Hall is joining an already talented USC programme full of top recruits from previous years – JuJu Watkins and Jazzy Davidson.

No pressure, then.

Hall has built an impressive reputation through her high school and international performances, including representing the United States at the FIBA U19 Women’s Basketball World Cup.

She’s athletic, versatile and capable of contributing in several different ways, which should make her an exciting addition to USC’s lineup.

But where do you fit in a team already bursting with talent?

There’s a big difference between being the standout player on your high school team and finding your role alongside some of the best college players in the country.

Hall won’t necessarily need to be USC’s leading scorer to have a brilliant freshman season. Sometimes the most impressive thing a young player can do is figure out exactly what their team needs from them.

And with Watkins returning, Davidson continuing her development and Hall entering the picture, USC could be a real threat this season.

What we’re watching: How quickly Hall adjusts to college basketball and what sort of role she carves out for herself at USC.

Oliviyah Edwards | Tennessee Lady Volunteers

A new face in Tennessee

Another freshman we’re looking forward to watching is Oliviyah Edwards, who joins Tennessee as one of the most exciting prospects in the 2026 recruiting class.

Edwards brings plenty of athleticism to the Lady Volunteers, and her ability to attack the basket and impact the game defensively makes her an interesting fit for head coach Kim Caldwell’s system.

Tennessee’s style of basketball places a lot of emphasis on energy, pace and defensive pressure, so there should be opportunities for a player with Edwards’ physical abilities to make an impact.

Of course, making the jump from high school to college isn’t always straightforward.

The opposition is stronger, the game is faster and suddenly you’re competing against players who have spent years developing at this level.

But that’s also what makes watching freshmen so enjoyable.

You get to see them figure things out in real time. Some arrive and make an immediate impact, while others take a little longer to find their confidence.

Either way, Edwards is a player with plenty of potential, and it’ll be interesting to see how Tennessee uses her throughout the season.

What we’re watching: How Edwards adjusts to the physicality of college basketball and whether she can become an important part of Tennessee’s rotation during her first year.

There’s plenty more where that came from

Of course, these are just six names from what is shaping up to be another exciting year of women’s college basketball.

There are plenty of players who could have made this list, and if history tells us anything, there’ll probably be someone none of us are talking about right now who becomes one of the biggest stories of the season.

But that’s what makes it fun.

The college game gives us the golden opportunity to follow players as they develop, discovering talent from different parts of the world and watching the stories that unfold throughout a season.

It’s also a brilliant opportunity for international fans to become more familiar with players before they reach the professional stage.

Whether you’re supporting a particular school, following your favourite player or just looking for an excuse to stay up until 2am watching basketball, there’s plenty to get excited about.

We’ll be following it all here at Hoops Across The Pond, with a particular interest in the players helping bridge the gap between American college basketball and the international game.

Now we want to hear from you. Who’s on your watchlist this season?

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