Oregon's Sabrina Ionescu Headlines 2020 Naismith Starting 5

Sabrina Ionescu is one of three Oregon players who has been named to the women's basketball Naismith Starting Five.

Ionescu was honored as the top point guard, while Satou Sabally and Ruthy Hebard were honored as the best small forward and power forward respectively.

2020 Naismith Starting Five

• PG: Sabrina Ionescu, Oregon
• SG: Aari McDonald, Arizona
• SF: Satou Sabally, Oregon
• PF: Ruthy Hebard, Oregon
• C: Aliyah Boston, South Carolina

The 31-2 Ducks finished the season as the No. 2 team in both the Associated Press Top 25 and Coaches Poll.

Ionescu, Sabally and Hebard helped Oregon enjoy the best run in program history.

Prior to the 2016-17 season, the Ducks had never advanced past the second round of the NCAA tournament. They then reeled off three straight Elite Eight appearances and a Final Four run in 2019. They might have added their first-ever national title this year had the COVID-19 pandemic not forced the cancellation of the 2020 tourney.

Ionescu will be remembered as one of the greatest talents of her generation. She's the all-time leader in triple-doubles and became the first player in Division I history to post 2,000 points, 1,000 rebounds and 1,000 assists.

Ionescu and Hebard are both seniors, while Sabally is forgoing her final year of eligibility to enter the WNBA draft. Their departures will likely force Oregon to take a step backward in 2020-21, even with a star-studded recruiting class on its way to Eugene.

South Carolina, on the other hand, probably isn't going anywhere after a 32-1 season, and Aliyah Boston is a big reason why. The 6'5" center averaged 12.5 points, 9.4 rebounds and 2.6 blocks as a true freshman.

A'ja Wilson left the Gamecocks with a national title and every major individual trophy to her name. That's a tough resume to match, but Boston has the chance to put herself in the same category as Wilson based on her first year.

With a potential power vacuum opening up in the Pac-12—Oregon is the three-time reigning regular-season champion—Arizona could be the biggest beneficiary.

Aari McDonald was eligible for the 2020 WNBA draft but decided to return to the Wildcats for her senior year. She averaged 20.6 points and 3.6 assists while shooting 45.8 percent from the field as a junior.

McDonald could help Arizona lift its first conference championship in 2021.