INDIANAPOLIS (USBWA) – In an interesting confluence in the 50th anniversary season of the Associated Press women’s poll, as the ongoing weekly rankings reached No. 900 and as defending NCAA champion and No.1 UConn continued on its unbeaten roll, the Huskies’ Geno Auriemma tied Stanford’s retired Tara VanDerveer for reaching the most coaching appearances at 654. This is Auriemma's 41st season.
UConn has now appeared a record 621 straight weeks since the start of the 1993-94 season, a span of more than three decades, dipping out of the Top 10 briefly when the team was hit by a slew of injuries.
Meanwhile, in the past week in the powerful Southeastern Conference, No. 3 South Carolina continued to own LSU, which afterwards dropped a spot Monday to No. 7, while Vanderbilt, with wins over No. 10 Oklahoma and No. 4 Texas, rose to the top seed line in the NCAA tournament committee’s first 16-team reveal on Saturday, but then 24 hours later was nipped at the finish by Georgia, losing by two points. The double upsets in the Ivy League on the weekend, Columbia over Princeton completing a sweep of the Tigers for the second straight season, and Brown over Harvard, has produced a first-place tie between the former two teams and a third-place tie between the next two just one game back in the race for seeding in the annual Ivy Madness, with four games each to play. The conference tournament will be hosted at Cornell.
And in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference, after Quinnipiac had won earlier at two-time defending champion Fairfield, the Stags delivered a road payback to the Bobcats, knotting the two in first place and creating an anticipated second straight title matchup at next month’s tournament in Atlantic City, N.J.
As stated in last week’s awards release, ultimately, the players make the results that appear on the scoreboards and even at the mid-major level many are reaching season, career, and program highs that continue to drive healthy attendance numbers and TV viewership ratings three seasons after Iowa
sensation Caitlin Clark graduated from the collegiate level.
The USBWA women’s awards, organized under Mel Greenberg, the USBWA Vice President for women’s basketball, are drawn from weekly conference honors as well as at-large additions. Nominations are welcome as each seven-day period rolls along to make sure no one is inadvertently overlooked.
For the period through Sunday, Feb. 15, the five Ann Meyers Drysdale national women’s honorees of the week are Villanova guard Jasmine Bascoe; Vanderbilt guard Mikayla Blakes; Richmond forward Maggie Doogan; UC Davis center Megan Norris; TCU guard Olivia Miles. The Tamika Catchings National Freshman of the Week is USC guard Jazzy Davidson, and the National Team of the Week is Maryland.
Bascoe, a 5-7 sophomore guard out of Milton, Ontario, near Toronto, enabled Villanova (21-5, 14-3), to win a pair of Big East games and reach a six-game win streak. The Wildcats, who host UConn Wednesday on Peacock, are in second place and have clinched at least third for next month’s tournament at the Mohegan Sun in Uncasville, Conn. Bascoe averaged 19.5 points, 5.5 rebounds, 6 assists and 2 steals in road triumphs at Xavier and Creighton and also earned her 1,000th career point, just the third sophomore in program history behind all-Americans Shelly Pennefather and Wildcats all-time scorer Maddy Siegrist.
Blakes, a 5-8 sophomore guard out of Somerset, N.J., had a big week for No. 5 Vanderbilt (24-3, 10-3), averaging 31.6 points in three games. In an 85-70 win over No. 4 Texas, the nation’ scoring leader (26.3 ppg.) pumped in 34 points for a second consecutive game and became the first SEC player this century and 21st in the NCAA since 1999-00 to have four straight 30-point games. Her 45-game streak of double-digit games is third-longest among active NCAA players and she joins Paige Bueckers as the only two to score 30+ against three straight ranked opponents. Blakes is the reigning USBWA Freshman of the Year and previous USBWA multi-weekly honoree this season,
Doogan, a 6-2 senior forward out of Broomall, Pa., in surburban Philadelphia, averaged 24.5 ponits, 8.5 rebounds and 3.5 assists in Richmond's pair of wins over the conference preseason favorites. In Saturday’s 65-43 win over Davidson, she became the third player in Spiders history to reach 2,000 career points while helping hold Davidson to its season-low scoring. This is Doogan's third USBWA weekly award this season and she is also a past honoree. Doogan was the Atlantic 10 Co-Player of the Week.
Norris, a 6-3 redshirt senior center out of Menlo Park, Calif., had a pair of double-doubles in a pair of wins by UC Davis (19-7, 12-3). She was named Big West Player of the Week for the third time this season and fourth in her career on Monday while also earning the first USBWA honoree for herself and the program. In a triple overtime win Thursday against UC San Diego, she became the Aggies’ single-season rebound leader and broke the single game record for the program and conference with 29 boards, the second-best mark this season in the NCAA, while adding 13 points with four assists. On Saturday, she shot 60 percent in scoring 16 points, with 14 rebounds in 29 minutes against Long Beach State.
Miles, a 5-10 graduate guard for surging No. 12 TCU ( 23-4, 11-3) and a Notre Dame transfer out of Phillipsburg, N.J., first scored a career-high 40 points with 10 makes from deep in an 83-67 win at then-No. 12 Baylor. She scored 23 of her points in the third quarter, shooting 7-for-9 beyond the arc. It’s the most points in any quarter by a Division I player since Iowa’s Caitlin Clark on Feb. 15, 2024. She’s also the first D-I player in the last 25 years to make 10 treys on the road against a ranked opponent, per ESPN. On Sunday, in a 59-50 win against then-No. 19 West Virginia, she had 12 points, seven boards, and seven assists and on Tuesday was named Big 12 player of the week as TCU reached the top spot in the Big 12 standings and now holds an active 40-game home win streak, tied with No. 4 Texas for the NCAA's active long streak. Miles is a previous USBWA honoree with the Fighting Irish.
Davidson, a 6-1 freshman guard (16-9, 8-6) for USC hailing from Clackamas, Ore., has now won six Big Ten weekly freshman honors and three from the USBWA. She scored 24 points in a 79-73 triumph over visiting Indiana to go with six rebounds, three steals, three assists and a pair of blocks. She has now scored in double figures in 22 straight games and reached 20 points 10 times. Her 17.2 scoring average leads the team.
Maryland (21-6, 9-6), which jumped six spots to No. 14 in Monday’s poll, has won four straight games in the Big Ten. On Thursday in an 81-62 home win over Penn State, five players scored in double figures led by Indiana transfer Yarden Garzon with 19 points while Oluchi Okananwa scored 15 with six assists and tied her career-high with six steals. Saylor Poffenbarger had 10 points and 11 boards with five assists. On Sunday at then-No. 8 Ohio State, the Terrapins, down 19 in the first half, matched their biggest comeback, winning 76-75 as Okananwa had 17 points and ten boards and Garzon scored 17.
Since the 1987-88 season, the USBWA has named a women’s National Player of the Year. For the 2012-13 season, the national and weekly player award became named for Hall of Famer and former UCLA All-American Ann Meyers Drysdale while the national and weekly freshman award is being given in the name of former Tennessee all-American Tamika Catchings, which was applied at the start of the 2019-20 season.
At the conclusion of the regular season, the USBWA will name finalists for both individual awards, which is voted on by the entire membership of the USBWA.
The winners of the 2026 Ann Meyers Drysdale National Player of the Year and Tamika Catchings National Freshman of the Year will be announced and presented at the USBWA’s annual awards event on site at the 2025-26 NCAA Women's Final Four in Phoenix.
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. It has selected a women's All-America team since the 1996-97 season. For more information on the USBWA and its award programs, contact executive director Malcolm Moran at 814-574-1485.
2025-26 USBWA Women's Weekly Honors
• Week ending Nov. 9: Meghan Andersen, Fairfield; Audi Crooks, Iowa State; Liv McGill, Florida; Taliah Scott, Baylor; Fadima Tall, Princeton (National); Jazzy Davidson, Southern Cal (Freshman); UConn (Team).
• Week ending Nov. 16: Zanai Barnett-Gay, Navy; Audi Crooks Iowa State; Olivia Olson, Michigan; Sayvia Sellers, Washington; Sydney Shaw, West Virginia (National); Addi Mack, Maryland (Freshman); UCLA (Team).
• Week ending Nov. 23: Maggie Doogan, Richmond; Azzi Fudd, Connecticut; Ava Heiden, Iowa; Ta’Niya Latson, South Carolina; Clara Strack, Kentucky (National); Lara Somfai, Stanford (Freshman); Rhode Island (Team).
• Week ending Nov. 30: Mikayla Blakes, Vanderbilt; Audi Crooks, Iowa State; Sharnecce Currie-Jelks, Murray State; Gabriela Jacquez, UCLA; Indya Nivar, North Carolina (National); Madison Francis, Mississippi State (Freshman); Texas (Team).
• Week ending Dec. 7: Lauren Betts, UCLA; Kaety L’amoreaux, Fairfield; Megan Nestor, North Texas; Medina Okot, South Carolina; Olivia Olson, Michigan (National); Aaliyah Chavez, Oklahoma (Freshman); Villanova (Team).
• Week ending Dec. 14: Raegan Beers, Oklahoma; Madison Booker, Texas; Audi Crooks, Iowa State; Cassandre Prosper, Notre Dame; Fadima Tall, Princeton (National). Kamryn McLaurin, Houston Christian; Mia Pauldo, Tennessee (Freshman); Arizona State (Team).
• Week ending Dec. 21: Audi Crooks, Iowa State; Joyce Edwards, South Carolina; Hannah Hidalgo, Notre Dame; Olivia Miles, TCU, Sarah Strong, UConn (National); Lauren Whittaker, Gonzaga (Freshman); Texas Tech (Team).
• Week ending Jan. 4: Mikayla Blakes, Vermont; Avery Howell, Washington; Tonie Morgan, Kentucky; Nikola Priede, Vermont; Taliah Scott, Baylor (National); Uche Izoje, Syracuse (Freshman); Duke (Team).
• Week ending Jan. 11: Jaloni Cambridge, Ohio State; Maggie Doogan, Richmond; Bailey Maupin, Texas Tech; Cassandre Prosper, Notre Dame; Kadida Toure, Long Island U (National); Mia Pauldo, Tennessee (Freshman); Vanderbilt (Team).
• Week ending Jan. 18: Dani Carnegi, Georgia; Dominique Darius, Syracuse; Stailee Heard, Oklahoma State; Nasi Simmons, Columbua; Hannah Stuelke, Iowa (National); Zahara Bishop, Seton Hall (Freshman); Louisville (Team).
• Week ending Jan. 25: Zoe Brooks, NC State; Cotie McMahon, Ole Miss; Kennedie Shuler, Oregon State; Tristen Taylor, Temple; Riley Weiss, Columbia (National); Aaliyah Chavez, Oklahoma (Freshman); Iowa (Team).
• Week ending Feb. 1: Taylee Chirrick, Montana State; Audi Crooks, Iowa State; Sayvia Sellers, Washington; Clara Strack, Kentucky; Sarah Strong, UConn (National); Jazzy Davidson, USC (Freshman); George Mason (Team).
• Week ending Feb. 8: Jaloni Cambridge, Ohio State; Joyce Edwards, South Carolina; Timaya Lewis-Eutsey, Marshall; Gisella Maul, California; Kiki Rice, UCLA (National); Jaliya Davis, Kansas; Francesca Schiro, Siena (Freshmen); North Carolina (Team).
• Week ending Feb. 15: Jasmine Bascoe, Villanova; Mikayla Blakes, Vanderbilt; Maggie Doogan, Richmond; Megan Norris, UC Davis; Olivia Miles, TCU (National); Jazzy Davidson, USC (Freshman); Maryland (Team).