There was a lot of talent spread out across the country and at different positions this season. It wasn't easy to trim espnW's 2018 All-America teams to 15 players, or decide who made the first, second and third teams. Suffice to say, this list is the cream of an excellent crop.
(Editor's note: espnW's Charlie Creme, Graham Hays and Mechelle Voepel voted. Players listed in alphabetical order; * denotes unanimous pick. All player capsules written by Voepel unless otherwise noted).
First Team
Sabrina Ionescu*, Oregon, G, 5-foot-11, sophomore
2017-18: 19.4 PPG, 6.6 RPG, 7.8 APG
Signature game: The Pac-12 Player of the Year has somehow made triple-doubles seem almost mundane, with five this season and an NCAA record nine in her young career. Yet Ionescu's signature game was her 23-point, six-rebound, 12-assist performance -- with no turnovers -- in a thrilling 101-94 overtime victory against UCLA on Feb. 19.
Teaira McCowan, Mississippi State, C, 6-foot-7, junior
2017-18: 17.7 PPG, 13.2 RPG, 60.2 field goal percentage
Signature game: After stepping forward last postseason, McCowan came into her own this year as a dominant force inside. She did everything in the Bulldogs' 90-79 win over Oregon on Dec. 13, scoring 35 points on 15-of-18 shooting, grabbing 19 rebounds and blocking five shots. McCowan's value was never more evident than in the SEC tournament final. Her being out with early foul trouble hurt the Bulldogs on both ends.
Katie Lou Samuelson*, UConn, G/F, 6-foot-3, junior
2017-18: 17.9 PPG, 4.4 RPG, 46.2 3-point field goal percentage
Signature game: The American Athletic Conference Player of the Year, Samuelson is the Huskies' scoring leader and top 3-point shooter (by a smidge over Kia Nurse). She is a threat from everywhere on the court, though. In UConn's 69-58 victory over Louisville on Feb. 12, Samuelson was a one-woman wrecking crew in the first half, scoring 19 of her 26 points and putting the game all but out of reach.
Gabby Williams*, UConn, F, 5-foot-11, senior
2017-18: 10.6 PPG, 7.5 RPG, 5.2 assists, 81 steals
Signature game: She can score at a high level, but defending, rebounding and getting the ball in the right hands are her exceptional strengths. In the Huskies' 83-58 victory at South Carolina on Feb. 1, Williams had 14 points, 14 rebounds and five assists, plus helped a defensive effort that limited Gamecocks star A'ja Wilson to 4-of-18 shooting from the field.
A'ja Wilson*, South Carolina, F, 6-foot-5, senior
2017-18: 22.6 PPG, 11.8 RPG, 94 blocks
Signature game: A three-time SEC Player of the Year, Wilson had a lot on her shoulders as three players from last year's NCAA title team moved on to the WNBA. She handled that well, and had the perfect send-off on a Feb. 22 senior night in a 57-48 victory over LSU. Wilson -- the espnW player of the year -- finished with 27 points and a career-high 24 rebounds, plus added four assists. Later, even dealing with vertigo didn't stop her from being SEC tournament MVP in leading South Carolina to an unprecedented fourth consecutive title.
Second Team
Kalani Brown, Baylor, C, 6-foot-7, junior
2017-18: 20.2 PPG, 10.1 RPG, 66.3 field goal percentage
Signature game: Baylor is high on talent but low on depth, so Brown -- the Big 12 Player of the Year -- has to be on the court for a lot of minutes. She has worked hard to get in better shape, and it shows. In an 87-45 victory over Oklahoma State on Feb. 13, Brown played 38 minutes and finished with 20 points and 23 rebounds. She has 15 double-doubles this season.
Napheesa Collier, UConn, F, 6-foot-1, junior
2017-18: 15.4 PPG, 7.5 RPG, 3.2 APG
Signature game: Her scoring average and shooting percentage aren't as high as last year, but that's mostly due to the fact that UConn has even more weapons. There are still games when the Huskies need big numbers from Collier, and she delivers. In their 100-49 victory at South Florida on Jan. 6, Collier had 25 points on 12-of-15 shooting, 11 rebounds, four assists and four blocked shots -- a quintessential game for her.
Asia Durr, Louisville, G, 5-foot-10, junior
2017-18: 18.8 PPG, 2.1 APG, 102 3-pointers
Signature game: The ACC Player of the Year had a productive offseason, playing for USA Basketball in a U-23 tournament and attending a senior national team camp. She then hit the ground running this season, and Notre Dame's low was her high. She had 36 points -- hitting 8 of 10 from behind the arc -- in the Cardinals' blowout win over the Irish on Jan. 11.
Kelsey Mitchell, Ohio State, G, 5-foot-8, senior
2017-18: 24.5 PPG, 4.2 APG, 122 3-pointers
Signature game: Mitchell is at 3,363 points in her career, No. 3 in NCAA history behind Washington's Kelsey Plum (3,527) and Missouri State's Jackie Stiles (3,393). Mitchell's 37-point performance in a 78-71 overtime victory at Michigan on Jan. 7 was an example of why she's so hard to stop: Even when the defense knows she's getting the ball, she just keeps attacking. She had nine of the Buckeyes' 14 points in the extra period.
Arike Ogunbowale, Notre Dame, G, 5-foot-8, junior
2017-18: 20.2 PPG, 5.4 RPG, 2.8 APG
Signature game: No doubt you've heard about Notre Dame's many injuries. But the guard corps, led by Ogunbowale, still has the Irish in line for a potential No. 1 seed. Her 27-point, eight-rebound, four-assist performance in an epic 84-70 comeback victory against Tennessee on Jan. 18 gave the Irish a much-needed bounce after a big loss the week before to Louisville and came at a pivotal time for Notre Dame.
Third Team
Lexie Brown, Duke, G, 5-foot-9, senior
2017-18: 20.1 PPG, 4.4 APG, 3.5 SPG
Signature game: Brown began her career at Maryland, steering the Terps to a pair of Finals Fours. She finishes it at Duke, and is the only active woman in the NCAA to amass 2,000 career points, 500 assists and 300 steals. She has reset the standard for a two-way point guard. That complete skill set was on display Feb. 19 against then-No. 9 Florida State. Brown played all 40 minutes, made 12 of 19 from the field, including 4 of 8 from the 3-point line, scored 30 points and added three rebounds, three assists and five steals in a 79-66 win, the biggest victory on the Blue Devils' résumé this season. Not only did she lead the Duke offense but was the primary reason the Seminoles had such difficulty starting theirs. -- Charlie Creme
Jordin Canada, UCLA, G, 5-foot-6, senior
2017-18: 16.8 PPG, 6.9 APG, 3.2 SPG
Signature game: There were epic duels against Oregon's Sabrina Ionescu that didn't go UCLA's way for reasons that had nothing to do with the senior point guard. But one of the reasons Canada and the Bruins will likely get a chance to play in front of a home crowd again as hosts in the opening rounds of the NCAA tournament is a win against Baylor on Nov. 18. What the Big 12 couldn't do all season, UCLA did behind Canada's 20 points and 13 assists. -- Graham Hays
Marie Gulich, Oregon State, C, 6-foot-5, senior
2017-18: 17.1 PPG, 8.9 RPG, 2.8 BPG
Signature game: Taking into account Oregon State's pace, Gulich scored the same percentage of her team's points as peers such as Louisville's Asia Durr and Notre Dame's Arike Ogunbowale. The German native was everything Oregon State needed as it moved on without Sydney Wiese. She played a nearly perfect offensive game en route to a career-high 36 points against Arizona State. But no performance goes here other than her 28-point, 15-rebound outing in an overtime win against Oregon on Jan. 18, a victory that showed the Beavers won't cede the state. -- Graham Hays
Megan Gustafson, Iowa, F, 6-foot-3, junior
2017-18: 25.6 PPG, 12.7 RPG, 2.1 BPG
Signature game: Gustafson leads the nation in scoring and ranks in the top five in rebounding, all while playing in a major conference for an NCAA tournament-bound team. So there's no lack of options here. She scored a season-high 48 points her last time out in the Big Ten tournament, but the game that made clear what she meant to Iowa was a narrow loss to Florida State on Nov. 29. Against one of the ACC's best, she hit 15 of 18 shots. -- Graham Hays
Victoria Vivians, Mississippi State, G, 6-foot-1, senior
2017-18: 19.6 PPG, 6.0 RPG, 48.5 field goal percentage
Signature game: The Bulldogs start a four-guard offense, with Vivians technically playing the 4, and she has thrived in that position with the best field goal percentage of her career. Her 15-point output in a 57-53 victory at Missouri on Feb. 1 wasn't a big scoring performance, but it featured a big shot. Vivians' jumper with four seconds left gave the Bulldogs a two-point lead, and they held on in one of their closest games of the season.