Aliyah Boston, Caitlin Clark lead NCAA women's tournament players to watch

With the women’s NCAA tournament expanding to 68 teams this year, more top women’s basketball players will put their skills on display on the biggest stage. Many of the stars are top prospects in the WNBA draft, which is less than one month away (7 p.m. ET April 11 on ESPN).

In no particular order, here are the players we’re excited to watch in the tournament.

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Aliyah Boston, South Carolina

Junior, Forward

16.8 ppg, 11.9 rpg

Boston is the real deal. She’s a National Player of the Year candidate and leads No. 1 overall seed South Carolina in points (522), rebounds (371), blocks (82) and steals (40). She is second in assists (60 to Destanni Henderson’s 120). The Gamecocks have lost only two games this season thanks in large part to Boston. In the Greensboro Regional, they could face No. 2-seeded Iowa and another Player of the Year candidate, Caitlin Clark, in the Elite Eight. All of South Carolina’s games are must-watch, but with a trip to the Final Four on the line, that matchup would be extra spicy.

Paige Bueckers and Azzi Fudd, UConn

Sophomore, guard and freshman, guard

17.1 ppg, 4.8 rpg and 13.2 ppg, 2.9 rpg

Injuries limited both players in the regular season, but they returned just in time for UConn’s best basketball of the season. Bueckers missed 19 games with a knee injury, while Fudd missed two months with a foot injury. Fudd was the No. 1 recruit heading into this season and expected to pair with Bueckers to provide the Huskies with a 1-2 punch. Bueckers is still working back into top form, but her playmaking is mesmerizing.

NaLyssa Smith, Baylor

Senior, forward

22.3 ppg, 11.7 rpg

Smith leads No. 2-seeded Baylor in points (741) and rebounds (381) and is projected as one of the top picks in next month's WNBA draft. She ramped up production in the latter part of the regular season, making a late push for National Player of the Year. In the Big 12 title game, Smith missed part of the first half after hurting her knee. She returned in the second half and said after the game she may have hyperextended it. As long as the injury doesn’t linger, she will be one of the most exciting players to watch in the tournament.

Caitlin Clark, Iowa

Sophomore, guard

27.5 ppg, 7.9 rpg, 8.3 apg

The National Player of the Year race really is between Clark and South Carolina’s Boston, and the two could face off in the Elite Eight. Clark can dazzle with the amount of points she scores. Her style of basketball is fun to watch, and each feat seems impossibly harder to accomplish. She leads the nation in points and assists per game. She scored 46 points in a loss to Michigan last month, making even Hawkeyes losses worth watching.

Cameron Brink, Stanford

Sophomore, forward

13.6 ppg, 8.2 rpg

The Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Year also is the top-seeded Cardinal’s leading scorer. She is tops in two other categories: rebounding (240 with 165 coming on the defensive end) and blocks (72). For Stanford to win back-to-back national titles, Brink must be the difference-maker.

Elissa Cunane, N.C. State

Senior, center

13.4 ppg, 7.5 rpg

The Wolfpack is a No. 1 seed for the second straight season in large part thanks to Cunane. She runs the offense efficiently, shooting 52.6% from the field and 44.8% from 3-point range. Her well-rounded game is the anchor for N.C. State. Cunane took a hard fall in the ACC tournament title game, but returned and won MVP for the tournament.

Aneesah Morrow, DePaul

Freshman, forward

21.4 ppg, 14 rpg

Only a freshman, Morrow rattled off 23 straight double-doubles and scored a season-high 41 points in the regular-season finale against Creighton. She leads the nation in rebounding. DePaul faces Dayton in a First Four game on Wednesday, so Morrow’s time in the spotlight could be limited this season. She’s the Freshman of the Year front-runner and will be one to watch in upcoming seasons.

Naz Hillmon, Michigan

Senior, forward

21.1 ppg, 9.3 rpg

Hillmon has notched more than 2,000 points and 1,000 rebounds in her career, the first Michigan basketball player — male or female — to accomplish the feat. The Wolverines earned a No. 3 seed, the highest ever for the women’s program, in the NCAA tournament after a Sweet 16 run last season. Hillmon can do it all, giving the Big Ten a basketball renaissance.

Rhyne Howard, Kentucky

Senior, guard

20.4 ppg, 7.7 rpg

Howard was consistent all season, but it took a late-season run for Kentucky, including a 10-game winning streak, to even make the NCAA tournament. The Wildcats stunned South Carolina in the SEC tournament championship and rode that to a No. 6 seed. Howard was the MVP of the tournament, scoring 88 points over four games. She also is 17th on the SEC’s all-time career scoring list.

Ayoka Lee, Kansas State

Junior, center

22.6 ppg, 10.3 rpg

Lee set the NCAA Division I women’s single-game scoring record with 61 points in the Wildcats’ win over then-No. 14-ranked Oklahoma in January. Since then, she notched six double-doubles. She already announced she will return for her senior season. A strong showing in the NCAA tournament and next season would set her to be a high WNBA draft prospect in 2023.