Women's college basketball 2023-24 bold predictions: UConn's Paige Bueckers wins player of the year

Bueckers is ready to jump back into the awards conversation after missing the 2022-23 season with a torn ACL

The 2023-24 women's college basketball season is quickly approaching, which means teams and players that are being overlooked are getting ready to prove themselves. There are no guarantees in this sport, but that's what makes it fun.

A lot of storylines have emerged surrounding LSU, UConn and Iowa, but a lot of surprises will arise between now and March. With that in mind, here are five bold predictions for the upcoming season.

USC makes first Sweet 16 since 1994

The Trojans haven't reached the Sweet 16 since 1994, but coach Lindsay Gottlieb is turning the program around. USC exceeded expectations last season by making the NCAA tournament for the first time since 2014, and it seems the team has all the ingredients to build off of that success.

USC had a solid defense last season, holding opponents to just 55.1 points per game. The team did lose its two leading scorers, Kadi Sissoko and Destiny Littleton, but the Trojans are returning Naismith Defensive Player of the Year semifinalist Rayah Marshall, who set a single-season program record with 98 blocks a season ago. Marshall also proved she can contribute on both ends of the court as she averaged a double-double of 12.7 points and 11.5 rebounds in 2022-23. 

Gottlieb added some experience via grad transfers Kaitlyn Davis, McKenzie Forbes, Roxane Makolo and Kayla Padilla. But the Trojans turned heads the most after landing the 2023 No. 1 recruit JuJu Watkins. A 6-foot-2 guard, Watkins averaged 24.5 points, 10.3 rebounds, 3.2 assists, 2.8 steals and 2.0 blocks per game during her senior season at Sierra Canyon (Calif.).

UConn's Paige Bueckers wins national player of the year

Will UConn star Paige Bueckers be rusty after missing an entire season because of a torn ACL? Sure, but Bueckers has demonstrated before she can bounce back well from injury.

During her sophomore season in 2021-22, Bueckers underwent surgery for an anterior tibial plateau fracture and a lateral meniscus tear on her left leg. She missed 19 games while recovering and definitely took a few weeks to get her rhythm back, but there was no doubt the team was better with her on the floor, and the Huskies even reached the national title game. Despite missing significant playing time that year, Bueckers still averaged a respectable 14.6 points, 4.0 rebounds, 3.9 assists and 1.5 steals while shooting 54.4% from the field in 17 games.

While Iowa's Caitlin Clark and LSU's Angel Reese were the top players to watch last season, Bueckers is ready to get back in the conversation. After all, this is the same player who received 11 major honors during her freshman year, including the Wooden Award, Naismith Trophy, AP Player of the Year and USBWA Player of the Year.

Lindy La Rocque gets UNLV ranked again

The Lady Rebels finished the 2022-23 season with a program best 31-3 overall record in what was only Lindy La Rocque's third season as head coach. The team also earned its first AP Top 25 ranking (No. 22) since 1994 and reached the NCAA Tournament for the second consecutive year. La Rocque will be looking to guide her team to a third consecutive Mountain West title, and she has all the pieces to do so. 

The Mountain West is not the strongest women's college basketball conference, but UNLV dominated its competition last season to the tune of a +14 scoring margin, one of the 20 best marks in the nation. The Lady Rebels retain three starters from that group, including leading scorer Desi-Rae Young, who averaged 17.9 points and 10.1 rebounds per game while shooting 59.2% from the field. The team will also return Kiara Jackson, the Mountain West Sixth Player of the Year. 

The Lady Rebels did lose some key pieces, including starting point guard Essence Booker. However, Jackson proved she could step into that role after La Rocque shook up the lineup last December. That month, Jackson registered a career-high 21 points against Northern Arizona and scored 20 points against Wyoming a week later. The team is also adding a promising young talent in Amarachi Kimpson, who shared Mountain West Preseason Freshman of the Year honors with San Diego State's Trinity Zamora.

South Carolina makes fourth consecutive Elite Eight

Life will be different in Columbia without Aliyah Boston, but South Carolina coach Dawn Staley always has a game plan -- after all, she's earned Naismith Women's Coach of the Year honors three of the last four years. The Gamecocks aren't getting the same hype as they did last year after they won the 2022 national title, and this is mostly because they lost several key pieces to the WNBA draft. However, the team returns some solid players in Raven Johnson, Bree Hall and 2023 SEC Sixth Woman of the Year Kamilla Cardoso. 

Johnson was an SEC All-Freshman Team selection a season ago and will be ready to embrace a bigger role as a sophomore. She will likely share some point guard minutes with senior Te-Hina Paopao, a transfer from Oregon who made 81 3-pointers last year at a 42% clip and averaged 13.1 points per game.

This South Carolina roster will be a mixture of veterans and some very talented young players. The Gamecocks have four top-50 recruits, the most of any team, from the 2023 class: Milaysia Fulwiley, Chloe Kitts, Tessa Johnson and Sahnya Jah.

Kansas rides experience to second round of NCAA Tournament

The Jayhawks missed out on The Big Dance last season, but they won the 2023 WNIT and can build off that momentum. They are returning four double-digit scorers from the WNIT-winning group, including Zakiyah Franklin and Taiyanna Jackson, who each averaged over 15 points a game. 

Jackson also led her team in rebounding with 12.7 boards per contest in 2022-23, and she ranked sixth in the nation in blocks per game. She was the key piece to Kansas' success last season and earned the WNIT MVP honor. The expectations will keep rising for Jackson, now a super senior, as she is entering 2023-24 as an unanimous Preseason All-Big 12 Team selection. Kansas' other returning starters are super senior guard Holly Kersgieter and senior guard Wyvette Mayberry.

The team is also adding some young talent in four-star wing S'Mya Nichols, who was a member of the 2022 Team USA U18 National Team and won a gold medal in the FIBA U18 Americas Championship.