March Madness will serve as both the end of some prolific college careers and a glimpse at some promising WNBA futures.
Dozens of WNBA prospects will take the court during the 2024 NCAA Tournament. A few have already become household names, while others can use the Big Dance as a chance to step into the national spotlight.
Before the tourney tips off, here are five WNBA prospects to watch in March Madness.
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Caitlin Clark, G, Iowa
Caitlin Clark’s historic NCAA career will come to a close with this year’s tournament. Will it end with a national championship?
The Iowa superstar’s resume speaks for itself. She’s the reigning Naismith Trophy winner as the nation’s top player and took her game to another level in 2023-24. She became the NCAA’s all-time leading scorer – men’s or women’s – earlier this month and has up to six more games to add to her total.
Clark shined in the Big Dance last year with a 41-point triple-double in the Elite Eight against Louisville, another 41-point performance in the Final Four to knock out undefeated South Carolina and a 30-point game in a national championship loss against LSU. She will be the No. 1 player to watch in March Madness and the presumed No. 1 pick in the 2024 WNBA Draft.
Cameron Brink, F, Stanford
Cameron Brink has already reached the mountaintop in women’s college basketball, as she helped lead Stanford to a national title as a freshman in 2021. The team lost in the Final Four the following year and was stunned by eighth-seeded Ole Miss in the second year of last year’s tournament, so Brink and the Cardinal could be extra motivated entering this year’s March Madness.
Brink decided to bypass a fifth year with the Cardinal and declared for the 2024 draft on Tuesday. She is averaging 17.8 points, 12.0 rebounds and 2.9 assists per game, but the 6-foot-4 forward is an even greater force on the defensive end with an NCAA-leading 3.5 blocks per game.
Kamilla Cardoso, C, South Carolina
Kamilla Cardoso has provided a big presence for the country’s top team. At 6-foot-7, the South Carolina center is averaging career highs with 14.0 points and 9.8 rebounds per game.
Fans will have to wait a game to see Cardoso play in the national tournament. She was one of many players ejected following an altercation between South Carolina and LSU in the SEC title game and consequently suspended from the Gamecocks’ first-round contest in the Big Dance.
Aaliyah Edwards, F, UConn
With Paige Bueckers staying another year at UConn, Aaliyah Edwards will be the top Huskies player to enter the 2024 WNBA Draft. The 6-foot-3 forward is having a career year on Geno Auriemma’s squad, averaging 17.8 points and 9.3 rebounds per game.
UConn has not won it all since it earned four straight national titles from 2013 to 2016. Edwards can boost her draft stock even more if she leads the team back to the Final Four or beyond.
Rickea Jackson, F, Tennessee
Rickea Jackson returned to Tennessee for a fifth collegiate season and has made the most of it. The former Mississippi State forward has added to her game in 2023-24, posting career highs of 8.0 rebounds and 2.4 assists per game to go along with 19.4 points per game.
Jackson will look to follow in the footsteps of Candace Parker, Diamond DeShields and more as the next Lady Volunteer to thrive in the WNBA.