Edwards, Latson on Wooden Late Midseason Top 20
COLUMBIA, S.C. – South Carolina women’s basketball forward Joyce Edwards and guard Ta’Niya Latson earned spots on the John R. Wooden Award 2026 Women’s Late Midseason Top 20 Watch List. They are two of the 12 SEC players to make the list.
Edwards’ sophomore season has been one for the record books already as she became the fifth-fastest Gamecock all-time to reach 1,000 career points, hitting the mark in her 64th career game. She has 15 20-point games this season, one shy of the program’s single-season top 10, and her current stretch of four consecutive 20-point SEC outings is the longest streak in program history. Edwards is 15th in the nation with 20.3 points per game and ninth in field goal percentage at .606. She also ranks ninth in the SEC in blocks per game (1.2) and comes in 12th in steals per game (1.9). She has scored at least 20 points 15 times and been in double figures in every outing this season. In eight games against ranked opponents, she leads the team in scoring (16.5 ppg), blocks (1.0 bpg) and steals (2.3 spg). She is second in rebounding at 6.4 per game and averages 2.5 assists.
Latson is second on the team in scoring at 15.5 points per game, which ranks her 14th in the SEC. She is having a career season in efficiency, shooting 50.0 percent from the field (7th in the SEC) and 37.7 percent from 3-point range while posting 1.05 points per possession and 1.19 points per shooting attempt. The well-rounded guard is handing out 3.6 assists per game, ranks fifth in the SEC with a 2.1 assist-to-turnover ratio and is 13th in the league with 1.9 steals per game.
The players on the list are considered strong candidates for the 2026 John R. Wooden Award Women’s Player of the Year. Players not selected for the late midseason list remain eligible for inclusion on the Wooden Award National Ballot. The National Ballot will feature 15 top players who have demonstrated to their universities that they meet or exceed the Wooden Award qualifications. The Wooden Award voters will rank 10 of the 15 players on the ballot in order of preference when voting opens during the NCAA Tournament. Voters will also consider performances in the tournament’s early rounds, players’ contributions to their teams and their character. The Wooden Award All-America Team will be announced during the week of the NCAA Tournament’s Elite Eight. The winner of the Wooden Award will be honored at the Los Angeles Athletic Club on Fri., April 10.
No. 3/3 South Carolina is on the road this weekend, heading to No. 6/5 LSU for an 8:30 p.m. ET tipoff on ABC.
Continue to check GamecocksOnline.com and the team’s social media accounts (@GamecockWBB) for more information on the program.
2026 Wooden Award Late Midseason Top 20 Watch List
Raegan Beers, Oklahoma
Lauren Betts, UCLA
Mikayla Blakes, Vanderbilt
Madison Booker, Texas
Jaloni Cambridge, Ohio State
Aaliyah Chavez, Oklahoma
Audi Crooks, Iowa State
Joyce Edwards, South Carolina
Azzi Fudd, UConn
MiLaysia Fulwiley, LSU
Rori Harmon, Texas
Hannah Hidalgo, Notre Dame
Flau’jae Johnson, LSU
Ta’Niya Latson, South Carolina
Cotie McMahon, Ole Miss
Olivia Miles, TCU
Olivia Olson, Michigan
Clara Strack, Kentucky
Sarah Strong, UConn
Mikaylah Williams, LSU
