With Selection Sunday said and done, fans of college basketball around the US are eagerly filling out their brackets, and teams are preparing for some of the biggest battles of their lives (so far). But there's another group of people who will be eyeing the matchups with a lot of interest in the coming weeks: WNBA coaches and scouts.
The Indiana Fever has the No. 19 and 20 selections in this year's WNBA Draft. And though it's clear the Fever are focused on putting together a team of vets that can guide Caitlin Clark and Aliyah Boston to the Championship, the team will draft at least two new players (whether or not they will have the cap space to retain those players remains to be seen).
Maddy Westbeld, Notre Dame
Westbeld had a strong showing at the ACC tournament this month and might well be out of second-round contention, but assuming she's still available the Fever should snag her at the 19th spot. After missing half of the season with a foot injury, the 6'3" forward has since shown off spectacularly under the circumstances with an average of 14.4 points, 8.7 rebounds, and 1.5 steals per game.
Gianna Kneepkens, Utah
Kneepkens didn't play most of last season after she broke her ankle, but the 6'0" guard has been making up for lost time ever since. As the fourth-highest scorer in the Big 12, Kneepkens has averaged 19.4 points this year.
She had a major 30-point game in January that put her on the map, and Kneepkens was thisclose to landing the second triple-double in Utah's program history the same night. She's since had at least two 30+ point games (against BYU and UCF), and has demonstrated a fearlessness that would translate well to the Fever's high energy, aggressive style of play.
Rayah Marshall, USC
Marshall doesn't always get as much spotlight as she deserves, but that's tough to accomplish when you're on a team with JuJu Watkins and Kiki Iriafen. Marshall has shown an admirable degree of grace and patience this season, as she's had to take a smaller role on the court to make room for Iriafen's arrival to the team.
Like Iriafen, Marshall is a mobile defensive threat, capable of stopping an opponent dead in their tracks. If the Fever chooses to draft her, Marshall is the kind of talent the team could develop for a few years and then unleash, ideally when the rest of the WNBA least expects them to.