Women's College Basketball Looking For Next Star With No Paige Bueckers And Juju Watkins Injured

Women's college basketball has been on the rise these last few years, riding the wave of iconic players like Caitlin Clark, Angel Reese, Paige Bueckers and JuJu Watkins.

Now, with Clark and Reese in the WNBA, Bueckers headed to the league and Watkins sidelined for the foreseeable future with an ACL injury, it raises the question of who will pick up the torch and continue that momentum.

There may be no clear candidate to become the face of the game, though there's no shortage of talented players, including UCLA's Lauren Betts, UConn freshman Sarah Strong and South Carolina freshman Joyce Edwards. And there are more looming on the horizon, like high school sensation Aaliyah Chavez will be making her collegiate debut at Oklahoma next season.

The ratings for the women's NCAA Tournament leading into the title game Sunday didn't match last year's record numbers, though they were better than nearly every other year in NCAA history.

"It's a great sign that without Caitlin we're still certainly on the ascent," ESPN analyst Rebecca Lobo said. "Hopefully, that's the same even without the star power next year of Paige Bueckers and JuJu. The game is at place where it can still grow."