UConn's Paige Bueckers Headlines 2022 Wooden Award Preseason Watch List

After becoming the first freshman to win the Wooden Award as the best women's college basketball player, Paige Bueckers is a top candidate to win it again in 2021-22.

The UConn guard headlined the preseason watch list featuring 50 of the best players in the country, per ESPN. 

Bueckers is one of five Huskies players on the list, which also includes Christyn Williams, Olivia Nelson-Ododa, Aaliyah Edwards and Azzi Fudd.

The depth will help the Huskies as they seek their first title since 2016. The team reached the Final Four last year behind Buecker's 20.0 points, 5.7 assists and 4.9 rebounds per game, but a loss to Arizona ended the team's title hopes.

Stanford took home the championship and bring back Cameron Brink, Lexie Hull and Haley Jones, three players who made the preseason top 50 list.

Jones was the Final Four Most Outstanding Player after scoring 17 points with eight rebounds in the title game victory over Arizona.

South Carolina also features three players on the list—Aliyah Boston, Zia Cooke and Destanni Henderson—helping them become the No. 1 team in the Associated Press preseason poll.

Baylor's NaLyssa Smith is another top contender for the Wooden Award after averaging 18.0 points and 8.9 rebounds per game last season.

Caitlin Clark also returns as the nation's leading scorer last year with an average of 26.6 points per game for Iowa.    

---

Wooden Award Preseason Top 50

Shakira Austin, Ole Miss

Kierstan Bell, Florida Gulf Coast

Grace Berger, Indiana

Aliyah Boston, South Carolina

Cameron Brink, Stanford

Leigha Brown, Michigan

Jakia Brown-Turner, NC State

Paige Bueckers, UConn

Rae Burrell, Tennessee

Veronica Burton, Northwestern

Caitlin Clark, Iowa

Nia Clouden, Michigan State

Zia Cooke, South Carolina

Lorela Cubaj, Georgia Tech

Elissa Cunane, NC State

Monika Czinano, Iowa

Aaliyah Edwards, UConn

Queen Egbo, Baylor

Azzi Fudd, UConn

Vivian Gray, Texas Tech

Anastasia Hayes, Mississippi State

Lauren Heard, TCU

Destanni Henderson, South Carolina

Naz Hillmon, Michigan

Mya Hollingshed, Colorado

Rhyne Howard, Kentucky

Lexie Hull, Stanford

Rickea Jackson, Mississippi State

Ashley Joens, Iowa State

Haley Jones, Stanford

Taylor Jones, Oregon State

Elizabeth Kitley, Virginia Tech

Lotta-Maj Lathinen, Georgia Tech

Ayoka Lee, Kansas State

Charlisse Leger-Walker, Washington State

Jordan Lewis, Baylor

Diamond Miller, Maryland

Olivia Nelson-Ododa, UConn

Charisma Osborne, UCLA

Ashley Owusu, Maryland

Te-Hina Paopao, Oregon

Alissa Pili, USC

Khayla Pointer, LSU

Nyara Sabally, Oregon

Myah Selland, South Dakota State

Aisha Sheppard, Virginia Tech

NaLyssa Smith, Baylor

Hailey Van Lith, Louisville

Maddy Westbeld, Notre Dame

Christyn Williams, UConn