UCLA's Lauren Betts, Notre Dame's Hannah Hidalgo headline 2025-26 AP preseason All-America team

Five of the biggest names in women's college basketball earned recognition Tuesday when the Associated Press unveiled its 2025-25 preseason All-America team, including UCLA center Lauren Betts and Notre Dame guard Hannah Hidalgo. Those two stars earned the most votes from the AP's 31-member panel with 29 apiece.

Betts guided UCLA last season to the first Final Four appearance in program history with a breakout individual campaign. The former Stanford transfer became the first National Defensive Player of the Year to hail from UCLA and was a scoring weapon on the other end of the floor at 20.2 points per game. Betts blocked 100 shots on the year, made strides as a passer and scorer and amassed 19 double-doubles to assert herself as one of the top frontcourt players in the country.

Hidalgo is a reigning National Player of the Year finalist who in the 2024-25 season set the Notre Dame single-season scoring record with 23.8 points per game. She hit the ground running as one of the top freshmen in the sport the year prior, picked up where she left off last season and figures to shoulder even more of the load for the Fighting Irish this winter as the lone returning starter in the lineup.

UConn sophomore forward Sarah Strong earned the third-most votes of the preseason All-Americans with 28. She led the reigning national champion Huskies in rebounds (356), steals (92) and blocks (66) and picked up a National Freshman of the Year honor after enjoying one of the best seasons by a first-year player in UConn's storied history.

Ranking the 10 best women's college basketball players for 2025-26: Sarah Strong, Lauren Betts lead list

Isabel Gonzalez

Madison Booker, a junior forward at Texas, is the last of four players to earn at least 20 preseason All-America votes. The sharp-shooting SEC Player of the Year converted from beyond the arc at a scalding 40.3% clip last season, which helped her become the second-fastest player in Longhorns history to reach the 1,000-point threshold.

South Carolina senior guard Ta'Niya Latson rounds out the All-America roster. Latson, who starred last season at Florida State, was the nation's leading scorer as a junior with 25.2 points per game. She moved to the SEC this offseason as the headliner of the 2025 transfer portal cycle, and her arrival is among the numerous reasons why the Gamecocks open the year as the No. 2 team in the preseason AP Top 25.

2025-26 AP preseason All-America team

Others receiving votes: Azzi Fudd, UConn (11); Olivia Miles, TCU (10); Flau'Jae Johnson, LSU (4); Mikayla Blakes, Vanderbilt (3); Raegan Beers, Oklahoma (2); Jazzy Davidson, USC (1); Darianna Littlepage-Buggs, Baylor (1)