No. 2 UCLA women’s basketball (31-1, 18-0 Big Ten) enters March Madness with a star-studded roster. Six Bruins are eligible for the 2026 WNBA Draft, with five projected to go in the first round.

The Bruins have a chance to make WNBA Draft history, both with the number of first-round selections and overall quantity of draftees in a single season.

The WNBA record for most first-round picks from one college program in a single year is held by a Sue Bird-led UConn, which had four players drafted in the top six in 2002. Additionally, there have been four occasions when five players from the same team have been drafted in the same year, most recently in 2023 from South Carolina.

But with a loaded graduating class consisting of center Lauren Betts, forward Angela Dugalić and guards Gabriela Jaquez, Gianna Kneepkens, Charlisse Leger-Walker and Kiki Rice, UCLA is poised to shatter records.

The exact order of picks is up in the air, and there is a wide range in draft board predictions, especially with over 100 WNBA players currently free agents. This means there may be a large shuffling of players across teams, impacting where draftees land.

Lauren Betts, center

There was a lot of talk about 6-foot-7 Betts being the No. 1 overall pick entering the season, but after the lottery was released and the draft order was finalized, she has dropped slightly.

Betts has plenty to offer in terms of sheer size and skill, evidenced by the numerous awards she has accumulated this season – Big Ten Player of the Year, Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year, Wooden Award National Ballot and Lisa Leslie Center of the Year Finalist.

She leads UCLA in points and rebounds, with 16.4 and 8.6, respectively, alongside 59 blocks this season. Betts’ points and rebounds per game have decreased from last season, but this is mainly due to a stronger supporting cast that takes some offensive burden off of her.

The Centennial, Colorado, local has dominated all season, shooting 56.2% from the field and recording 11 double-doubles so far. There are very few people who can effectively match up with Betts, allowing her to capitalize down low.

However, with some WNBA teams beginning to shift away from the classic center position in favor of more agile and quicker floor-spacers, Betts may not be seen as having as much value in professional competition. .

Nonetheless, she is a surefire lottery pick. Her frame and skill are both invaluable and rare, which will help her be a key part of any program she is drafted to.

Should the third-selecting Seattle Storm roster stay the same – boasting a strong core-four in the frontcourt – Betts likely falls to the fourth pick.

First round, No. 4 (Washington Mystics)

Gianna Kneepkens, guard

Kneepkens joined UCLA after four seasons with Utah, one of which was medically redshirted due to a foot injury.

She was named to the Cheryl Miller Award Top 10 Candidate last season, selected to the All-Big Ten Second Team by the media and was an All-Big Ten Honorable Mention by the coaches this season. She is also currently a finalist for the Ann Meyers-Drysdale Shooting Guard of the Year Award.

Kneepkens is currently averaging 13.4 points and 3.2 rebounds per game, both lower than her last season’s averages, but this discrepancy is because of her bigger role on a weaker Utah squad. She is not required to score as much at UCLA because of the talent around her, so she has embraced a greater catch-and-shoot archetype who can also sink midrange shots when given the opportunity.

Alongside UConn’s Azzi Fudd, she has shown that she is one of the two best outside shooters in this draft class. Kneepkens boasts the 50-40-90 mark, shooting 51.8% from the field, 44.2% from deep and 95.2% from the charity stripe.

Her lethality on the perimeter has held steady throughout her career, as she left Utah shooting 43.2% from behind the arc. Kneepkens’ quick and fluid shot release is quick and fluid is consistent from any location, making her a high-level prospect for any team.

The Duluth, Minnesota, local has also improved her defense since last year, as coach Cori Close has emphasized the importance of “passion plays” throughout Kneepkens’ final season.

Her only drawback is that she plays a very specific role as a shooter, which not every team will immediately need. Squads that are looking to shoot at a high volume from the 3-point line would be more inclined to draft her than a team that relies on a frontcourt-dominated offense.

First round, No. 7 (Portland Fire)

Kiki Rice, guard

The Big Ten All-Defensive Team and unanimous All-Big Ten First Team selection has improved in almost every statistic since her freshman campaign with the Bruins.

Rice is averaging career highs in points, rebounds and shooting percentages at all three levels, only dropping in assists as her role has shifted away from the point guard position with the addition of Leger-Walker this season.

The senior is second on the team in scoring and rebounds, averaging 15.3 and six, respectively, per game. Rice’s reach extends beyond the offensive side for the Bruins, though. She ranks second on the team with 48 steals, just five below the squad’s leading mark.

Having scored double-digits in all but two games so far this season, Rice’s game is consistent. She has also recorded at least two assists in all but one game and has recorded at least seven assists in six games so far.

The Bethesda, Maryland, local plays a level-headed, high-IQ game. She can create her own shot and excels when driving to the paint, but she also knows how to find open teammates. Rice’s improvement from the 3-point line is also one that WNBA scouts will look at, as she has improved her deep clip from 21.7% to 38.1% across four collegiate seasons.

Rice’s consistency on both ends of the floor makes her an appealing prospect for many squads, but the question lies in which position they want her to fulfill.

Some squads may want to use her as a point guard position, like she was for the first three years of her collegiate career. Meanwhile, others may let her play a looser guard position, much like this season, allowing her to find her own shot while being a key secondary ball handler.

First round, No. 9 (Washington Mystics)

Gabriela Jaquez, guard

Much like Rice, Jaquez has saved her best season for last.

She currently averages career highs in points per game and efficiency at all three levels of shooting. Her freshman season saw averages of 6.3 points and 3.5 rebounds a game, which have improved to 13.6 and 5.4 as a senior.

Jaquez’s numbers helped her make it on both the coaches and media All-Big Ten Second Team and be a Cheryl Miller Award Finalist.

She has also increased her efficiency with her 41.1% clip from deep and 54.3% mark from the field. Jaquez is an energizer bunny on the court, always looking to make the “passion plays” Close encourages.

The Camarillo, California, local has a lot of variability in her predicted draft position – with The Athletic having her going sixth, while ESPN has her falling to 15th. Jaquez is viewed by many as a “role player” who could be valued by any program to fulfill specific niches.

Jaquez’s offensive improvement has skyrocketed her stock, as she was not even mentioned on ESPN’s draft board before the season began, but her exact landing remains difficult to predict.

Jaquez does bring something that cannot be taught, however – effort. No matter how well she is shooting, she is a player who will work hard and put her all on the line for her team. This mentality is critical for teams and could be overlooked in usual draft assessments.

The leaps of improvement across the board throughout her career underscore her work ethic and consistency, something that programs value. Her strength as a role player would help her fit into any system of play across the league.

First round, No. 11 (Washington Mystics)

Charlisse Leger-Walker, guard

Leger-Walker is entering the draft as one of the most experienced players in the class, as a sixth-year player who has started in all 137 games she has played.

She is a true point guard, albeit on the taller end at 5-foot-10, and one of the best in this year of draftees, joined by TCU’s Olivia Miles.

Leger-Walker played at Washington State for four seasons, tearing her ACL in her senior campaign before transferring to UCLA last season. She medically redshirted the 2024-2025 season but has become a key player for the Bruins.

The Waikato, New Zealand, local averages 8.9 points, 4.2 rebounds and 5.6 assists per game, with a 2.6 assist-to-turnover ratio. Leger-Walker’s playmaking has relieved Rice of some of her point guard duties, allowing the latter to create more on-ball opportunities.

Leger-Walker has showcased both her court vision and ability to drive into the paint, making tough finishes and precise passes to teammates under the rim.

Leger-Walker has also displayed improved defense – she collected just 40 steals in her last complete season, compared to her team-high 53 so far this year. A pass-first point guard who is also shooting 36.4% from behind the arc makes for a high-quality draft pick. But the specific role she can play may limit which teams want to pick her up.

Any team looking for someone to facilitate an offense should look no further than Leger-Walker. Her ample collegiate experience, alongside her time on the New Zealand National Team, makes her a WNBA-ready player, even if she is a little older than most of the other guards in the draft class.

First round, No. 13 (Atlanta Dream)

Angela Dugalić, forward

It is a challenge to get into the starting lineup when every starter is projected to be drafted in the first round. But Dugalić hasn’t let that hold her back from getting recognized.

The Big-Ten Sixth Player of the Year recipient would be a starter at almost any other program in the country, made evident by her 34 starts in 35 games played last season, when Kneepkens and Leger-Walker were yet to join the program.

She has only started thrice this season, but she is a key player off the bench for UCLA. The Des Plaines, Illinois, local is averaging nine points and 5.2 rebounds per game in just 23.2 minutes played. The 6-foot-4 forward could be a valuable stretch-four, as she is shooting 51.1% from the field and 35.5% from deep with 27 made 3-pointers for the squad.

Her impact on both ends of the court has proven to be important in big games. Against then-No. 6 Oklahoma, Dugalić recorded her only double-double of the season, grabbing 13 boards to go alongside her 14 points. She also came up big in the Bruins’ matchup with then-No. 8 Iowa, where she tied her career-high of 22 points.

Dugalić is another sixth-year, meaning she enters the draft with some additional experience. Alongside her collegiate career, she has played for the Serbian National Team, so she is no stranger to elite competition.

One piece of her game that she would need to work on entering the league is playing disciplined defense. Despite coming off the bench, Dugalić leads the Bruins in fouls committed, recording 62 so far this season.

Her ability to confidently step into and knock down a 3-pointer despite being a forward coming off the bench shows her skill, while her ability to adjust to a reduced role shows her willingness to play whatever function is asked of her.

Second round, No. 25 (Indiana Fever)