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With the women's NCAA Tournament imminent, it's a good time to learn the new faces. Granted, after a full season of college basketball, freshmen might not be quite so new. But these are the first year standouts who bear watching in the NCAA Tournament. They just might hold the key to who takes the trophy.
Top 10 freshmen to watch in women's NCAA Tournament
10. Kennedy Smith, USC
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The 6-foot-1 Trojans guard is the team's third-leading scorer behind JuJu Watkins and Kiki Iriafen. With teams looking to lock down the top USC stars, Smith could see more opportunity. She averages 9.5 points and 4.4 rebounds per game.
9. Sira Thienou, Ole Miss
Thienou is one of four double-digit scorers on the Rebels. The 6-foot guard from Mali averages 10.8 points and 4.8 boards per game. She's a 38% 3-point shooter, which could be key in the NCAA Tournament.
8. Tajianna Roberts, Louisville
A 5-foot-10 guard from California, Roberts is a boom or bust player. She averages 13.1 points and 3.4 rebounds per game for the Cardinals. Within her last four games, she has both a 19 point game and a game where she shot 2-for-13. Either is possible, but the high ceiling is a big deal.
7. Olivia Olson, Michigan
The top two scorers at Michigan are freshmen. Olson, a 6-foot-1 guard, averages 16.2 points and 5.4 boards per game. She was the Big Ten Rookie of the Year and scored 20 points in two of her last three games coming into the NCAA Tournament.
6. Jaloni Cambridge, Ohio State
The 5-foot-7 guard makes the Ohio State attack go. Cambridge averages 15.4 points, 4.4 rebounds and 3.9 assists per game. She had 33 points in the next to last regular season game against Michigan State.
5. Syla Swords, Michigan
The 6-foot Swords forms a great freshman backcourt with Olivia Olson. Swords averages 16.1 points and 6.1 rebounds per game. In her last two pre-NCAA games, she had 22 and 26 points, respectively. She's a lights-out scorer.
4. Toby Fournier, Duke
The 6-foot-2 freshman can run hot and cold, but she's Duke's top scorer on the season. Fournier averages 13.4 points and 5.3 boards per game. If Duke gets her hot, she could carry the Blue Devils deep in the NCAA Tournament.
3. Joyce Edwards, South Carolina
The 6-foot-3 Edwards is the top scorer on Carolina's team. She averages 13.2 points per game off the bench and also grabs 4.8 boards per game. Edwards is still just scratching the surface of her mammoth potential, but that could change in a hurry.
2. Mikayla Blakes, Vanderbilt
How good is the 5-foot-8 guard? Well, the SEC Rookie of the Year had a 55 point game earlier this season against Auburn. Yes, 55. That came a couple weeks after she hung 53 on Florida. Blakes averages 23.2 points per game. Not only aren't here many freshmen like her, there aren't many players like her.
1.Sarah Strong, UConn
A 6-foot-2 post standout who teams with Paige Bueckers to give UConn title hopes, Strong is the real deal and is the most important of all freshmen in the NCAA Tournament. She averages 16.0 points and 8.4 rebounds per game. A deserving Big East Rookie of the Year, Strong has scored in double figures in each of the last eight games.
What do you think of our freshmen cast? Share your pick for the best below in our comments section!
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