Vanderbilt's Mikayla Blakes among players to watch in 2026-27 NCAA season
Yahoo Sports • 1 min read • Latest: Nov 3, 2026, 11:46 AM
Last updated Nov 3, 2026
As the 2026-27 women's college basketball season begins, several players have emerged as intriguing prospects. Among them are Vanderbilt's Mikayla Blakes, who looks to improve after a tough Sweet 16 outing, and Oklahoma's Aaliyah Chavez, aiming for consistency following a promising but erratic freshman year. Players like Notre Dame's Hannah Hidalgo, UConn's Sarah Strong, and USC's JuJu Watkins also return with motivation to prove themselves after past disappointments. Notable transfers, such as Addy Brown at UCLA, will impact team dynamics as well. With renewed focus on the Player of the Year race, expectations run high for these athletes.
- •Mikayla Blakes looks to bounce back from a disappointing Sweet 16 game.
- •Aaliyah Chavez aims for consistency after a mixed freshman season at Oklahoma.
- •Hannah Hidalgo and Sarah Strong return with added motivation after prior losses.
- •Addy Brown joins UCLA, adding depth to their roster after significant transfers.
- •Interest in the Player of the Year race is strong heading into the new season.
- 11:46 AMYahoo Sports — Women’s college basketball most intriguing players: Tessa Johnson, Aaliyah Chavez, Ava Heiden
"As the book closed on the 2026 WNBA season (and the offseason epilogue began), the calendar turned immediately to the 2026-27 women’s college basketball season. We’re not exaggerating at The Athletic when we say we (and women’s basketball) operate with “No Offseason.” After another year of transfer portal chaos, greater attention and higher expectations, this season should be interesting. It was genuinely hard to narrow down a list of the most intriguing players (my first attempt had about 40 na
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