Women’s college basketball – The 10 best freshmen in the country

So much of the talk around this women’s college basketball season has revolved around upsets and parity. No one is undefeated. Unpredictability has reigned.

The same is true of the 2021-22 midseason list of the top freshmen in the country, which includes a handful of players who likely would not have made the rankings in the preseason.

UConn brought in the nation’s top recruit in Azzi Fudd. South Carolina had the No. 1-rated freshman class. None of those players made this list. Fudd, a 5-foot-11 guard, has been sidelined by a foot injury for all but four games. Raven Johnson, a 5-foot-8 guard and the Gamecocks’ top rookie, went down with a knee injury in her second game, and the rest of the Gamecocks’ class hasn’t been able to consistently crack the talented South Carolina rotation.

But new faces have emerged as future stars. They might not have been ranked among the top-100 recruits coming out of high school or expected to play significant roles this season. Here is ESPN’s top 10 freshmen, with stats through games played Jan. 18. Notre Dame put two on our list, but the top spot comes from the Big East.

Forward | 6-foot-1
2021-22 stats: 18.9 PPG, 12.2 RPG, 52.3% FG

When DePaul left in late November for the Paradise Jam, Morrow was a solid contributor still adjusting to the college game. By the time the Blue Demon returned to Chicago, she was a star. She tallied 52 points and 25 rebounds in DePaul’s final two games in St. Thomas against Arizona and Vanderbilt, and the production has been staggering ever since. Not only is Morrow the Big East’s best rookie, she is having the best season of any player in the conference. Morrow leads the league in rebounding and steals (2.7 per game) and ranks second in scoring. Her 13 double-doubles are tops in the nation. With cornerstone guards Lexi Held, Sonya Morris and Deja Church completing their careers at DePaul…