10 most impactful players for 2025 NCAA women鈥檚 basketball tournament
10. Mikayla Blakes, G, Vanderbilt
Some exciting freshmen will take the floor in this year鈥檚 NCAA Tournament, including UConn鈥檚 Sarah Strong, Duke standout Toby Fournier and Ohio State guard Jaloni Cambridge. However, the most exciting of the group might ultimately be Blakes who has put up some incredible stat lines this season, including a 53-point outing against Florida in January and a 55-point effort against Auburn less than a month later. Blakes is averaging 23.2 points this season, the sixth-most in the country. Blakes also averages 3.2 rebounds, 3.2 assists and 2.3 steals while shooting 45.8% from the field and 34.4% from 3-point range. Between the 5-foot-8 freshman guard and standout forward Khamil Pierre, who also averages over 20 points, Vanderbilt could make noise in March. Blakes鈥� ability to get hot at any time might swing games down the stretch.
