{"id":66234,"date":"2023-12-23T17:00:00","date_gmt":"2023-12-23T17:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.swishappeal.com\/ncaa\/2023\/12\/23\/24008380\/ncaa-women-basketball-national-player-year-caitlin-clark-cameron-brink-paige-bueckers-juju-watkins"},"modified":"2023-12-23T17:00:00","modified_gmt":"2023-12-23T17:00:00","slug":"around-the-ncaaw-weekly-national-player-of-the-year-favorites","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/gamefootballmobileanimeiphone.com\/index.php\/2023\/12\/23\/around-the-ncaaw-weekly-national-player-of-the-year-favorites\/","title":{"rendered":"Around the NCAAW Weekly: National Player of the Year favorites?"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n
\n \"NCAA
Should Stanford\u2019s Cameron Brink be the favorite for National Player of the Year? | Photo by Bob Drebin\/NCAA Photos via Getty Images<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Ahead of conference play, which players have established themselves as leading contenders for National Player of the Year? <\/p>\n

We\u2019re delivering our look around the NCAAW a bit earlier this week, checking in on the sport\u2019s most impressive teams and players from Monday, Dec. 18 to Friday, Dec. 22. <\/p>\n

\n

Still undefeated?<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Last week<\/a>, we examined the then-15 remaining undefeated teams, assessing whether their thus-far-unblemished records accurately reflected their team quality. For a few teams, the answer appears to have been \u201cno,\u201d as they suffered their first loss when facing tougher competition. That group includes Old Dominion (8-2), No. 23 Washington (11-1) and California Baptist (10-1). Others burnished their resume, securing confidence-boosting wins that confirm they are the class of women\u2019s college hoops. In that basket, we have No. 2 UCLA (11-0). The rest\u2014such as No. 1 South Carolina (11-0), No. 3 NC State<\/a> (12-0), No. 5 Texas (12-0), No. 6 USC (10-0) and No. 10 Baylor (11-0)\u2014simply kept taking care of business. <\/p>\n

Let\u2019s take a closer look at the more informative outcomes from the past week: <\/p>\n

No. 2 UCLA (11-0) 77, No. 13 Ohio State (10-2) 71<\/strong><\/h4>\n

The Bruins have earned an undefeated record and ascended to No. 2 in the rankings due to the balance between their post and guard play, a balance that was on display Monday night\u2014just as our Edwin Garcia surmised in his preview<\/a>\u2014as UCLA defeated Ohio State<\/a>, 77-71<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Sophomore center Lauren Betts proved too much for the Buckeyes, posting a double-double of 17 points and 11 boards. Betts\u2019 scoring spurred the Bruins\u2019 46 points in the paint, while her rebounding helped UCLA control the glass, outrebounding Ohio State 40 boards to 30. After the Buckeyes\u2019 aggressive, pressing defense initially disrupted the Bruins, allowing OSU to sprint out to a 7-0 advantage, UCLA\u2019s guards eventually settled in. While sophomore guard Kiki Rice finished with 15 points and four assists, fifth-year guard Charisma Osborne closed the door in Columbus, shutting down Ohio State\u2019s late comeback attempt as she scored 14 of her 19 points in the second half. <\/p>\n

Head coach Cori Close applauded Osborne\u2019s effort on both ends of the floor, saying after the game<\/a>:<\/p>\n

\n

I just thought we showed a lot of composure, and it starts with Charisma Osborne. I just thought she was so solid on both ends of the floor. She was a calming force. No one ever drives around her. We switched a lot of screens\u2014but you\u2019ll notice, nobody ever rounded the corner on her.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

\n
\n

A successful business trip to Big Ten country #GoBruins<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/u6mablxRY2<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 UCLA W. Basketball (@UCLAWBB) December 19, 2023<\/a>\n<\/p><\/blockquote>\n