Big Ten Trio Garners AP and USBWA All-America Laurels

ROSEMONT, Ill. – The Big Conference had three women’s basketball student-athletes receive All-America recognition from The Associated Press (AP) and U.S. Basketball Writers Association (USBWA), both organizations announced Wednesday.

USC sophomore guard JuJu Watkins was a unanimous selection by the AP’s 31-member national media panel. She joins Oklahoma’s Courtney Paris, UConn’s Maya Moore and Notre Dame’s Hannah Hidalgo as the only players to earn first team All-America honors in their freshman and sophomore years. Watkins also earned USBWA first team recognition after leading the Trojans to their first-ever Big Ten regular-season title. It is her second season on the AP and USBWA All-America First Teams. The Big Ten Conference’s Player of the Year ranks second nationally with 24.6 points per game while also averaging 6.9 rebounds and 3.5 assists. This season, Watkins became the first basketball player at the Division I collegiate, WNBA and NBA levels since 2000 to score 38 points, 11 rebounds, eight blocks and five assists in a single game. Watkins ranks 10th all-time at USC in career scoring with 1,684 points and was the fastest Trojan to score 1,000 career points in program history. In addition, Watkins has been named National Player of the Year by The Athletic and Sporting News so far this season.

UCLA junior center Lauren Betts earned first team All-American honors from both the AP and USBWA after powering her squad to the 2025 TIAA Big Ten Women’s Basketball Tournament crown and the program’s first No. 1 overall seed in the 2025 NCAA Women’s Basketball Tournament. She is the Bruins’ first AP first team All-American in program history. The Big Ten Conference’s Defensive Player of the Year and Big Ten Tournament’s Most Outstanding Player led UCLA to 12 consecutive weeks ranked at No. 1 in the AP Top 25, a Big Ten women’s basketball record. Betts is averaging 19.6 points, 9.7 rebounds and 2.9 blocks while shooting 63.4 percent from the field to pace the Bruins. The Centennial, Colo., native broke UCLA’s single-season blocks record and set the single-game blocks record with nine rejections against then-No. 25 Baylor. Betts was also chosen as a first team All-American by The Athletic on March 5.

USC graduate student forward Kiki Iriafen claimed spots on the AP and USBWA third teams behind 18.2 points and 8.3 rebounds per game. A first team All-Big Ten performer, Iriafen has helped the Trojans to their highest AP ranking since 1984 at No. 2 in the nation and was integral in USC’s run to its first regular-season conference title since 1994.

Maryland senior guard Shyanne Sellers, Ohio State junior forward Cotie McMahon and UCLA junior guard Kiki Rice garnered honorable mention distinction from the AP. The trio also earned All-Big Ten First Team honors earlier this season.

Associated Press All-Americans
First Team
Lauren Betts, UCLA
JUJU WATKINS, USC

Third Team
Kiki Iriafen, USC

Honorable Mention
Shyanne Sellers, Maryland
Cotie McMahon, Ohio State
Kiki Rice, UCLA

*unanimous selections in ALL CAPS

USBWA All-Americans
First Team
Lauren Betts, UCLA
JuJu Watkins, USC

Third Team
Kiki Iriafen, USC