2025 WNBA Draft Round 1 Picks by Team: Which schools made the biggest impact?

The first round of the 2025 WNBA draft concluded and seven of the 13 WNBA teams announced their picks. As expected, UConn star Paige Bueckers was selected No. 1 overall by the Dallas Wings in this year's event.

Notre Dame's Sonia Citron, USC's Kiki Iriafen and Kentucky's Georgia Amoore were named third, fourth and sixth picks by the Washington Mystics, respectively. Connecticut Sun selected LSU forward Aneesah Morrow as the seventh pick while NC State's Saniya Rivers came in eighth.

Alabama's Sarah Ashlee Barker was a surprise first-rounder for the LA Sparks. Eleventh pick Hailey Van Lith is expected to reunite with former LSU teammate Angel Reese in Chicago. Aziaha James was the second NC State player to be picked in the first round as the Dallas Wings selected the shooting guard as 12th overall.

Here are the schools that made the biggest impact in the first round of the 2025 WNBA draft:

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Schools that made the biggest impact in the first round of the 2025 WNBA draft

#5 LSU Tigers

Player	School	Round/Pick	Team
Aneesah Morrow	LSU	1st/7th	Connecticut Sun

Double-double machine Aneesah Morrow was picked seventh overall by the Connecticut Sun. It was a surprise that Morrow went down to seventh as she was expected to be a top-six selection due to her accomplishments in her collegiate stints with DePaul and LSU.

Morrow will be a reliable defender who can soar for defensive rebounds and swipe away errant balls. The 6-foot-1 star may become an immediate fan favorite for the Sun due to her blue-collar work ethic.

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#4 USC Trojans

Player	School	Round/Pick	Team
Kiki Iriafen	USC	1st/4th	Washington Mystics

The Washington Mystics is fortunate to have three draft picks in the first round and they used it to acquire the services of USC power forward Kiki Iriafen. The Stanford transfer played second fiddle to JuJu Watkins this past season for the Women of Troy, but her impact on the team was huge, especially when Watkins was sidelined with a torn ACL.

Iriafen finished with 36 points and nine rebounds in the second round of the Spokane Regionals against Mississippi State. The 6-foot-3 forward may be utilized as a primary frontcourt option for the Mystics and could play alongside UConn standout Aaliyah Edwards this season.

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#3 Kentucky Wildcats

Player	School	Round/Pick	Team
Georgia Amoore	Kentucky	1st/6th	Washington Mystics

Kentucky Wildcats' point guard Georgia Amoore was a surprise selection by Washington as sixth overall. Expected to be picked in the latter part of the first round, Amoore could directly lead the Mystics, bringing her high-impact playmaking she's known for when playing for the Wildcats.

The Australian point guard, who first played for Virginia Tech before transferring to Kentucky, averaged 19.6 points, 2.3 rebounds, 6.9 assists and 1.0 assists per game last season.

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#2 UConn Huskies

Player	School	Round/Pick	Team
Paige Bueckers	UConn	1st/1st	Dallas Wings

The UConn Huskies are supposedly the biggest winners in the first round of the 2025 WNBA draft after the Dallas Wings selected Paige Bueckers as their top pick. That alone could be the reason for the top spot, but one school had two first-rounders in this year's event.

Bueckers' championship pedigree, leadership and scorer's mentality could be her best qualities in the upcoming WNBA season. She could become the Wings' foundation piece and someone the team can build upon in the future.

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#1 NC State Wolfpack

Player	School	Round/Pick	Team
Saniya Rivers	NC State	1st/8th	Connecticut Sun
Aziaha James	NC State	1st/12th	Dallas Wings

The NC State Wolfpack had two college basketball alumni selected in the first round. The Connecticut Sun used their second first-round pick and eighth overall to select Saniya Rivers. Four picks later, the Dallas Wings selected her teammate Aziaha James as their 12th pick.

Rivers played for three seasons with the Wolfpack after having one season with South Carolina. The 6-foot-1 guard-forward shone her talent in the last two seasons with the Wolfpack, averaging 12.2 points, 6.4 rebounds, 3.8 assists, 1.9 steals and 1.1 blocks per game.

James, on the other hand, played for four seasons with NC State and tallied 12.2 ppg, 3.7 rpg, 2.2 apg and 1.0 spg. The 5-foot-8 shooting guard could become Paige Bueckers' back-up or her backcourt partner in the new season of the WNBA, which begins on May 16.