Women’s 2026 Final Four players to watch: Sarah Strong, Joyce Edwards, more
nytimes.com • • general
Key Points:
- The Final Four matchup between South Carolina and UConn features a high-profile rivalry between sophomores Joyce Edwards and Sarah Strong, who have a history of competing against each other since middle school and AAU circuits.
- Strong, the top player in the 2024 class, and Edwards, ranked third, have met twice in college with UConn winning both times, including last year’s national championship game where Strong scored 24 points.
- Other notable sophomores from the 2024 class making an impact in the tournament include Texas’s Jordan Lee and Justice Charton, Ohio State’s Jaloni Cambridge, and Michigan’s Syla Swords and Olivia Olson.
- Key players to watch in the semifinals include UConn’s versatile freshman Blanca Quiñonez and senior sharpshooter Azzi Fudd, alongside South Carolina’s senior center Madina Okot and guard Ta’Niya Latson.
- Texas and UCLA also feature standout players such as Texas’s sophomore guard Jordan Lee and senior point guard Rori Harmon, and UCLA’s senior center Lauren Betts and graduate guard Gianna Kneepkens, all crucial to their teams’ Final Four hopes.
