After going through the 2024-25 NCAA women’s basketball season, the storyline surrounding the Paige Bueckers and JuJu Watkins rivalry has built up even more steam. Both players have created their own headlines and reign as the best two players in college women’s basketball. But who has the edge in this season’s National Player of the Year race?

While fans bickered over who had the upper hand in this budding rivalry, The Athletic waded into the discussion with a bombshell: JuJu Watkins had been named National Player of the Year by the publication. It was a tough blow for Bueckers and for Watkins, it was the crowning achievement from a sophomore campaign that has already exceeded even the most extravagant expectations.

Watkins’ averages stand among the best in the country. Guess her stats in the freshman year? She was averaging 27.1 points, 7.3 rebounds, and 3.3 assists per game! And this year? Watkins averaged 24.4 points, 6.7 rebounds, and 3.6 assists per game this year. The numbers are low compared to her freshman year, but still stand to show how dominant she was all year.

Watkins has been phenomenal this season for USC (26-2); they are now on the way to a Big Ten regular-season crown. And when matched up in high-leverage games, Watkins has averaged 25.8 points, 7.5 rebounds, and 2.8 blocks while shooting 37.5% on 3-pointers in six games against Top 10 opponents.

For Paige Bueckers, the announcement represents a bittersweet moment in a decorated college career. While she may have ended up without an NPOY award, Bueckers has authored a spectacular season in her own right. She led UConn to an undefeated conference record in the Big East. And a likely top-five finish in the final AP poll. She’s also become the only D1 player this century to record more than 2,000 points, 500 rebounds, and 500 assists while shooting better than 50% from the field, 40% from three, and 80% from the free-throw line.

The highs and lows of Paige Bueckers’ journey at UConn

Paige Bueckers’ UConn career has been a trail of milestones. As a freshman, Bueckers became the first freshman woman to win Associated Press Player of the Year honors. Her 168 assists were the most by any UConn freshman despite playing a season shortened due to COVID-19 pandemic protocols.

Again, injuries did shorten Bueckers’ sophomore season, but she led the Huskies to the national championship game. Her entire junior season was lost to a torn ACL, a blow that underscored the perseverance she figured she’d need going forward. Returning as a redshirt Junior, Bueckers continued from where she left off in her first two years as she was named Big East Player of the Year and was again a Unanimous first-team All-American. Her performance inspired UConn to another final-four appearance.

She became the fastest player in program history to reach 2,000 career points, doing so in 102 games. She reached the milestone in fewer games than UConn greats Maya Moore (108 games), Diana Taurasi, and Breanna Stewart. Moving forward, Watkins and Bueckers have bright futures ahead of them in professional basketball. In particular, Bueckers is the clear favorite to be selected with the No. 1 pick in the upcoming WNBA Draft.

As JuJu Watkins took home this year’s best individual honor, both she and Paige Bueckers have pushed the boundaries of greatness in women’s college basketball, winning the hearts of fans and making waves in a game that had yet to see anything quite like this before.