Women’s college basketball 2021-22 – Top 25 players in the country

How talented is the player pool for the 2021-22 women’s college basketball season?

For our panel of 12 voters, only three points — three! — separated the top two players in ESPN’s annual preseason ranking of the top 25 players in the country. In fact, the top three players headlining the list — Aliyah Boston, Paige Bueckers and NaLyssa Smith — each received at least three first-place votes.

ESPN writers Mechelle Voepel, Charlie Creme and Katie Barnes, The Undefeated’s Sean Hurd and ESPN analysts Debbie Antonelli, Rebecca Lobo, Carolyn Peck, Steffi Sorensen, Christy Thomaskutty, Brenda VanLengen, Brooke Weisbrod and Stephanie White voted on our panel. The No. 1 player on each ballot received 25 points, No. 2 got 24 points, No. 3 received 23 points, and so on.

When all the numbers were crunched, No. 1 South Carolina and No. 2 UConn led the way, both putting three players on our top 25 rankings. Defending NCAA champion Stanford, No. 3 in the preseason AP Top 25 poll, and fourth-ranked Maryland both have two players on the list.

The season tips off Tuesday — be sure to tune in to see No. 6 NC State host South Carolina (5 p.m. ET, ESPN/ESPN App). Until then, check out our rankings, including Antonelli’s scouting report for each player.

G | 5-foot-11 | sophomore
2020-21 stats: 20.0 PPG, 5.8 APG, 46.4% 3FG

Bueckers had a freshman season unlike any other. She was the consensus national player of the year, and was one of just a handful of Huskies in program history to average 20 PPG in a season. With all the talent in Storrs, she is likely to score less this season, but Bueckers prefers to facilitate first anyway. How she has developed her game on the court, as well as her leadership skills, will determine how deep of a run UConn makes this season. Bueckers received five first-place votes from our panel. — Katie Barnes

Debbie Antonelli’s scouting report:

• Always makes the right play no matter what defense — scheme, junk, multiple looks — she faces

• Elite offensive…