It all began with Angel Reese pointing to her ring finger. And it has not stopped ever since. When Caitlin Clark got snubbed from the Olympic team this year, fans were in an uproar. Sports media personality Colin Cowherd fanned the flames when he said that Reese could potentially win the Rookie of the Year. Then what if the Fever guard won a playoff series and got another All-Star selection next year but the Sky forward didn’t? Instead, she won a title next year and so on and so forth the rivalry would go. Fans would never stop watching. This has been the case since their college days, but they’re not in the NCAA anymore. Who is, then?

Rivalries in sports will always fuel more competition and performance the likes of which even the athletes might not have thought themselves capable of. But with the Reese/ Clark dynamic out, there are still six big names we can look forward to this season.

1. Paige Bueckers vs. JuJu Watkins

Although everyone will have their pick, some still can’t decide who will be the apparent heir to Caitlin Clark’s legacy in women’s college basketball. Paige Bueckers is largely expected to be the No. 1 pick in the WNBA draft next year. Meanwhile, JuJu Watkins followed the Fever star with 27.1 points per game (vs Clark’s 31.6 ppg) and became the first women’s college basketball player to have her own custom Nike shoe.

Bueckers drew in a sold-out season ticket package for the UConn Huskies for the first time since Diana Taurasi won the national championship. She was also the first freshman to win the national player of the year title in 2021. Meanwhile, Watkins broke the record for NCAA freshman scoring record with 920 points, surpassing Tina Hutchinson’s 1983-84 set at San Diego State.

These two last played each other in an Elite Eight matchup last year as a more experienced Huskies team defeated the Trojans in the Regional 3 Final. It ended with Watkins in tears in the post-game interview. But even though UConn didn’t end up going past the Final Four either, these two will be a fierce match-up in the current season again. Especially when Bueckers has the need to win the National championship in her final year with the Huskies and Watkins would want to avenge the Elite Eight loss.

2. Flau’jae Johnson vs. Kiki Iriafen

With Angel Reese in the WNBA, the Lady Tigers at LSU will look to Flau’jae Johnson for leadership now. The freshman who won a championship in her rookie year but lost to Iowa in the Elite Eight as a sophomore is looking to make a comeback this season. But standing in her way might be USC transfer Kiki Iriafen.

Shining at Stanford last season, Iriafen is back in her hometown and had stunned in the season opener vs Ole Miss with with 22 points. Winner of the Katrina McClain Award last season as the top power forward in women’s college basketball, the sophomore had 19.4 points and 11 rebounds per game in 2023-24.

Meanwhile, Johnson, who also moonlights as a successful rapper, scored 25 points on 10-15 shooting in LSU’s season opener against Eastern Kentucky. Her scoring skills with ball handling and her speed make her one to watch for, especially when the Lady Tigers play against the Trojans.

3. Aneesah Morrow vs. Kiki Rice

LSU senior Aneesah Morrow, ranked 5th for 22 double-doubles last year, has just been named to the preseason watchlist of 50 players for the Wooden Award along with teammates Flau’jae Johnson and Mikaylah Williams. Also ranked top 5 nationally for her scoring and rebounding skills, Morrow began the season with a double-double as well, despite receiving a hard foul to the neck area early on. Subbed back in the last few minutes of the game, the 21-year-old helped the Tigers to victory.

Meanwhile, Kiki Rice has missed the beginning of the UCLA Bruins season due to a shoulder injury, per Ryan Ruocco. But as and when she returns, the junior is expected to add depth to the team. Rice is one of the main reasons USC and UCLA can call themselves equal rivals after years, having averaged 12.4 points, 5.1 rebounds, 3.7 assists, and 1.3 steals every game in the last two seasons.

With the NCAA looking different this season with a number of transfers and coaching changes, it’s going be an exciting time in women’s basketball. The 2024 graduate class may have left a deep impression but these players are proving the game is worth watching even without Reese and Clark.