The postseason is less than one month away, and with it comes a slew of awards, including Freshman of the Year.

DePaul forward Aneesah Morrow won the award last year after a breakout season. In 2020-21, Iowa’s Caitlin Clark of Iowa and UConn’s Paige Bueckers were co-recipients. This year’s recipient will join some elite recent company.

Just Women’s Sports breaks down the top six candidates for 2023 Freshman of the Year.

Ta’Niya Latson, Florida State

There have been some great freshman performances so far this season, but it’s hard for many of them to truly compare with Florida State’s 5-foot-8 guard. Not only is Latson leading the freshman class in scoring, she’s also No. 8 among all players in the country with 21.9 points per game. She also contributes 4.5 rebounds and three assists per game, while shooting 46 percent from the field. She’s led Florida State to a No. 19 ranking and wins over ranked ACC teams Duke, NC State and North Carolina.

Latson is a prolific scorer, but her best attribute this season has been consistency. The guard has scored fewer than 10 points just once this season, while also hitting the 30-point mark six times in 27 games. Highlights include 31 points in an overtime victory over NC State and 21 points, eight rebounds, six assists and two steals in Florida State’s upset of UNC.

Several players have cases for Freshman of the Year, but none mean as much to their team as Latson does to Florida State. With less than a month left in the regular season, she is the frontrunner for the award.

Kiki Rice, UCLA

The No. 2 recruit in the country came to UCLA with a lot of hype and has handled it with poise. Rice knows she isn’t the main option for the Bruins (that mantle belongs to senior guard Charisma Osborne), but she plays her secondary role in a positive way, doing a bit of everything for her team. Rice is averaging 11.5 points per game, 4.8 rebounds, 3.3 assists and a team-high 1.3 steals.

Kiki Rice. That's it, that's the tweet.

📺: Pac-12 Networks
📲: https://t.co/FONoGTkJ32 #GoBruins | @kiki_rice0 pic.twitter.com/bhBCKAYiMq

— UCLA W. Basketball (@UCLAWBB) February 12, 2023

Rice has been a starter for UCLA since Game 1 this season, and she adjusted to the college game seamlessly. On Nov. 20, against a long, athletic Tennessee squad, Rice responded with 15 points, six rebounds, six assists and two steals to help her team secure an upset win. The guard also held her own in a close contest with South Carolina, recording 16 points and five rebounds.

Cotie McMahon, Ohio State

Despite coming in as a highly-touted recruit, McMahon likely wasn’t expecting to play such a big role this season on a stacked Ohio State team. But injuries to Jacy Sheldon and Madison Greene meant the Buckeyes didn’t have time to ease McMahon into a bigger role. She had to take it right away, and the forward has delivered. In 26.4 minutes per game, McMahon is averaging 14 points, 4.3 rebounds, 2.3 assists and 1.6 steals per game.

Q3 | @cotiemcmahon23 splits the defenders for an old-fashioned three-point play!#GoBucks pic.twitter.com/VnlPQGJlky

— Ohio State WBB (@OhioStateWBB) February 14, 2023

The forward has done everything Ohio State has asked of her while adding a new element to their offense. She brings physicality to the court and is able to drive and create, serving as a good complement to shooters like Taylor Mikesell and post players like Rebeka Mikulasikova. Even in games where Ohio State has struggled, McMahon has often been a bright spot. She held her own in losses to top opponents, Iowa and Indiana, recording 21 points in each contest.

Grace VanSlooten, Oregon

Oregon has had a steep decline in recent weeks, dropping 10 of their last 14 games after starting the season 10-1 and climbing into the Top 25. But while the Ducks have had trouble in a difficult Pac-12 conference, Vanslooten has not. She’s second on the team in scoring with 14.5 points and second in rebounds with 6.2 per contest. The 6-3 forward has produced those numbers in a league with experienced post players defending her.

VanSlooten doesn’t shy away from top competition, recording a career-high 29 points on Dec. 21 in a loss to then-No. 3 Ohio State, while also grabbing nine rebounds for a near-double-double. Other highlights include 17 points and 11 boards against UNC, and 17 points and eight rebounds against UCLA.

Flau’jae Johnson, LSU

When LSU plays, eyes are on the duo of Angel Reese and Alexis Morris, but Johnson has developed into a reliable third option for the Tigers. She’s averaging 12.5 points per game and is second on the team in rebounding with 6.3 per game, despite being just 5-10. She’s also blocking one shot per game, which speaks to the energy, effort and athleticism she brings to the court. Johnson even has three double-doubles this season on points and rebounds.

Johnson showed her variety of skills in a win over UAB on Nov. 26, finishing with 19 points, 13 rebounds, three assists and three steals. The guard was then crucial in a close 79-76 victory over Arkansas on Jan. 19, when she contributed 19 points and six rebounds. (Unrelated to the award debate: Johnson also has world-class talent off the court.)

Darianna Littlepage-Buggs, Baylor

Like VanSlooten of Oregon, Littlepage-Buggs will have a tough time winning this award because of her team’s struggles. But also like Vanslooten, Littlepage-Buggs has been a consistent bright spot for her team. The 6-1 forward is averaging a near-double-double with 9.9 points and 9.3 rebounds per contest. She’s also efficient in her attempts, shooting 51.3 percent from the field.

Littlepage-Buggs has clearly impressed coach Nicki Collen, who has called on the talented freshman to start in 19 of her team’s 24 games. Even when she doesn’t start, Littlepage-Buggs is a fixture on the court for the Bears, playing 24.8 minutes per contest. In a recent win over a tough Kansas squad, she played 30 minutes off the bench and finished with 12 points and a team-high 10 rebounds.

Eden Laase is a Staff Writer at Just Women’s Sports. Follow her on Twitter @eden_laase.

The 2025 WNBA season is finally here, with Friday's official tip-off leading an opening weekend full of tough competition and simmering storylines.

The reigning champion New York Liberty enter as odds-on favorites, but results are nearly impossible to predict after a very active offseason across the league.

This weekend's slate features new builds, regional rivalries, and plenty of fresh faces as top 2025 draft picks log their first pro minutes.

• Minnesota Lynx vs. Dallas Wings, Friday at 7:30 PM ET (ION): This year's No. 1 draft pick Paige Bueckers makes her official WNBA debut as revamped Dallas tests itself against a Minnesota team still stinging over last year's title loss.

• Los Angeles Sparks vs. Golden State Valkyries, Friday at 10 PM ET (ION): The Valkyries play their first-ever regular-season game, looking to form an identity against downstate rivals LA, led by new Sparks addition Kelsey Plum.

• Las Vegas Aces vs. New York Liberty, Saturday at 1 PM ET (ABC): The 2023 champs meet the 2024 title-winners in a heavyweight clash that sees 2024 MVP A'ja Wilson take on a confident New York team led by guard Sabrina Ionescu.

• Chicago Sky vs. Indiana Fever, Saturday at 3 PM ET (ABC): Last year's rookie headliners Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese meet again in Indiana, with the regional rivals relying on both incoming vets and young cores to write their next chapters.

Packed with great matchups, this weekend is the ideal tip-off for a 2025 season that promises to be a wild ride — no matter which WNBA team you follow.

The NWSL is back in action this weekend with a top-table match, a bicoastal battle, and some middle-of-the-pack clashes as the 2025 season enters its ninth matchday.

Parity is riding high these days, with just three points dividing the No. 1 Kansas City Current and No. 3 Washington Spirit in the NWSL standings — while only three more separate the No. 4 San Diego Wave from the No. 8 Seattle Reign.

With competition remaining tough as nails, don't expect much more daylight between teams following this weekend's tense lineup:

• No. 7 Gotham FC vs. No. 4 San Diego Wave, Friday at 7:30 PM ET (NWSL+): Coming off a two-game winless streak, Gotham is still searching for consistency as they take on a confident San Diego side that hasn't lost in four games.

• No. 9 Racing Louisville vs. No. 8 Seattle Reign, Friday at 7:30 PM ET (NWSL+): All tied up with 11 points each, Seattle will look to hold off Louisville as Racing continues to hunt the club's first-ever playoff berth.

• No. 2 Orlando Pride vs. No. 1 Kansas City Current, Friday at 8 PM ET (Prime): There's little love lost between these NWSL titans, as the reigning champion Pride takes on hosting duties in an attempt to leapfrog current top-dog Kansas City in Friday's marquee match.

In a season dominated by topsy-turvy results, the pressure to secure points week-over-week weighs heaviest on the teams who know they have the talent to rise above the rest.

This season's NWSL Golden Boot leader Esther González is sticking with Gotham, with the Spanish international extending her contract with the NJ/NY club through 2027.

After helping Gotham to a first-ever NWSL championship in 2023, González earned the league's Best XI Second Team honors last year before launching a red-hot campaign this season.

The 2023 World Cup winner has tallied seven goals in nine games for Gotham in 2025, showcasing a blistering rush of form that has her sitting two goals ahead of the next Golden Boot race contender.

"Above all, it's about how I've felt during these two and a half years with Gotham FC," González said in Thursday's team announcement. "Continuing to be happy both on and off the field is really important. To keep enjoying myself and representing Gotham's colors, which I truly identify with, is something really incredible."

Gotham's continued investment underlines the 32-year-old's case for 2025 MVP candidacy, as award frontrunners start to emerge one-third of the way through the 2025 NWSL season.

González leads the NWSL in shots on target while sitting fourth in expected goals per 90 minutes, with her scoring outpacing many of her peers.

Other players crafting strong 2025 NWSL MVP resumes include Kansas City's 2024 MVP Temwa Chawinga and comeback star Debinha, Angel City wunderkind Alyssa Thompson, and Orlando sharpshooter Barbra Banda.

Following a dominant 2024/25 campaign, Chelsea FC will look to cap their historic run by completing a domestic treble on Sunday, when they'll battle Manchester United for a third season trophy in the 2025 FA Cup final.

After securing the 2024/25 League Cup in March amidst an unbeaten run to a sixth-straight WSL title, the Blues will close out their season against the league's third-place finishers, the Red Devils, in London's iconic Wembley Stadium.

Should Chelsea secure the 2025 FA Cup, they will add a second domestic treble to their resume after clinching their first trio of trophies in the 2020/21 season. This time, however, they could do so in undefeated fashion.

"We are in a really good place, just the fact that we won the league being unbeaten," said first-year Blues manager Sonia Bompastor. "To end the season with an FA Cup final at Wembley against Man United is maybe the perfect way to end the season."

Manchester United hunts second straight FA Cup trophy

Standing between Chelsea and the treble are 2024 FA Cup champions Manchester United, who will take aim at their only trophy of the season partly behind the play of 2024/25 WSL Golden Glove winner and USWNT goalkeeper prospect Phallon Tullis-Joyce.

Man United enter as the game's undisputed underdogs, having dropped both their WSL regular-season matches against Chelsea in narrow 1-0 defeats.

Even more, the Red Devils must overcome a particular tough stretch of play, facing more than a month without a victory on their schedule.

Man United's last win was their 2-0 FA Cup semifinal victory over Manchester City on April 13th, with the Red Devils suffering a pair of losses and recording two draws to close out WSL play.

That said, United has experience downing the Blues on the FA Cup stage, ousting Chelsea from last year's semifinals en route to a club-first FA title.

Remarking that Manchester United "are a really strong team," Bompastor pointed out that the Red Devils "don't concede a lot of goals, and we need to remember that."

"You only get the trophy if you win, so we need to make sure going into the game we have the best preparation and we perform on the day."

How to watch Chelsea play Manchester United at the FA Cup final

The 2025 FA Cup final between Chelsea FC and Manchester United will kick off at 8:30 AM ET on Sunday.

Live coverage of the match will begin at 8:20 AM ET on ESPN+.