USBWA 2025-26 Season News

Fifteen players from the Power Five basketball conferences are represented on the U.S. Basketball Writers Association’s Midseason Watch List for the Wayman Tisdale Award. The mid-January reveal is a whittling from the preseason list, which began with 25 players. An especially strong class led to a competitive mid-January voting intake from the 11-person USBWA board. 

We are more than halfway through what’s growing into an outstanding 2025-26 season. With a bevy of bona fide Final Four contenders and no shortage of standout studs in every class, college basketball has been gifted with an especially strong crop of nominees for All-America honors and the biggest individual award of them all: the Oscar Robertson Trophy. 

Three past U.S. Basketball Writers Association presidents, two columnists who informed readers in football states about the achievements of basketball programs, and writers with a range of audiences from a national reach to a devoted local following make up the U.S. Basketball Writers Association's Joe Mitch Hall of Fame Class of 2026 for coverage of men’s basketball.

For the period through Sunday, Jan. 11, the five Ann Meyers Drysdale national women’s honorees of the week are Ohio State guard Jaloni Cambridge; Richmond forward Maggie Doogan; Texas Tech guard Bailey Maupin; Notre Dame guard Cassandre Prosper; and Long Island U. forward Kadida Toure. The Tamika Catchings Freshman of the Week is Tennessee guard Mia Pauldo and the Team of the Week is Vanderbilt.

The U.S. Basketball Writers Association has named five Oscar Robertson National Players of the Week for games of the week ending Sunday, Jan. 11.

Lamar Lovelace of Keuka College (Keuka Park, N.Y.) and Mary Schleusner of Washington & Lee University (Lexington, Va.) were named the U.S. Basketball Writers Association Division III National Players of the Week for the period ending January 11.

The U.S. Basketball Writers Association has named five Oscar Robertson National Players of the Week for games of the week ending Sunday, Jan. 4.

For the period through Sunday, Jan. 4, the five Ann Meyers Drysdale national women’s honorees of the week are Vanderbilt guard Mikayla Blakes; Washington guard Avery Howell; Kentucky guard Tonie Morgan; Vermont center Nikola Priede; Baylor guard Taliah Scott. The Tamika Catchings freshman of the week is Syracuse center Uche Izoje and the team of the week is Duke.

Scott Gyimesi of Tufts University (Medford, Mass.) and Elyse Warren of Millsaps College (Jackson, Miss.) were named the U.S. Basketball Writers Association Division III National Players of the Week for the period ending January 4.

The U.S. Basketball Writers Association is proud and excited to unveil a new monthly feature for the 2025-26 season. At the beginning of each month the association will be awarding two Oscar Robertson Player of the Month honors. One will go to a player at a high-major program, the other at a mid-major school. This will continue to spotlight big-time performers and add a little more attention and recognition beyond our five-man Player of the Week spotlights.

For the period through Sunday, Dec. 21, the five Ann Meyers Drysdale national women’s honorees of the week are Iowa State center Audi Crooks; South Carolina forward Joyce Edwards; Notre Dame guard Hannah Hidalgo; TCU guard Olivia Miles; UConn forward Sarah Strong. The Tamika Catchings freshman of the week is Gonzaga forward Lauren Whittaker and the team of the week is Texas Tech.

The U.S. Basketball Writers Association has named five Oscar Robertson National Players of the Week for games of the week ending Sunday, Dec. 21.

For the period through Sunday, Dec. 14, the five Ann Meyers Drysdale national women’s honorees of the week are Oklahoma center Raegan Beers; Texas forward Madison Booker; Iowa State center Audi Crooks; Notre Dame center Cassandre Prosper; Princeton guard-forward Fadima Tall. The Tamika Catchings co-freshmen of the week are Houston Christian guard Kamryn McLaurin and Tennessee guard Mia Pauldo and the team of the week is Arizona State.

The U.S. Basketball Writers Association has named five Oscar Robertson National Players of the Week for games of the week ending Sunday, Dec. 14.

Elijah Kinney of Endicott College (Beverly, Mass.) and Anna Giannopoulou of Guilford College (Greensboro, N.C.) were named the U.S. Basketball Writers Association Division III National Players of the Week for the period ending December 14.

For the period through Sunday, Dec. 7, the five Ann Meyers Drysdale national women’s honorees of the week are UCLA center Lauren Betts; Fairfield guard Kaety L’Amoreaux; NorthTexas forward Megan Nestor; South Carolina center Madina Okot; and Michigan guard Olivia Olson. The Tamika Catchings freshman of the week is Oklahoma guard Aaliyah Chavez, and the Team of the Week is Villanova.

The U.S. Basketball Writers Association has named five Oscar Robertson National Players of the Week for games of the week ending Sunday, Dec. 7.

Joey Ramirez of Concordia University (Austin, Texas) and Jaycie Christopher of the University of Southern Maine (Portland, Maine) were named the U.S. Basketball Writers Association Division III National Players of the Week for the period ending December 7.

The U.S. Basketball Writers Association has named five Oscar Robertson National Players of the Week for games of the week ending Sunday, Nov. 30.

Quamir Ingram of Greensboro College (Greensboro, N.C.) and Caroline Peper of New York University (New York, N.Y.) were named the Basketball Writers Association Division III National Players of the Week for the period ending November 30.