Bruins' Anchor Lauren Betts Makes Naismith Push

Lauren Betts’ record-setting season and Sweet 16 heroics for UCLA have earned her a spot as a finalist for the 2025 Naismith Player of the Year award.

Mar 23, 2025; Los Angeles, California, USA; UCLA Bruins center Lauren Betts (51) during pregame warmups before an NCAA Tournament second round game against the Richmond Spiders at Pauley Pavilion presented by Wescom. Mandatory Credit: Robert Hanashiro-Imagn Images / Robert Hanashiro-Imagn Images

As UCLA celebrated its second-round NCAA Tournament victory over Richmond on Sunday night, junior center Lauren Betts was redefining dominance.

That same dominance has now earned her national recognition.

Betts was named one of four finalists for the 2025 Jersey Mike’s Naismith Women’s Player of the Year Award on Monday, further solidifying her place among college basketball’s elite. 

Betts was already named a finalist for the Naismith Defensive Player of the Year. 

Her performance this year has been nothing short of historic. With 90 blocked shots, Betts set a new UCLA single-season program record and leads the Big Ten with 2.9 blocks per game, ranking fifth nationally. 

On Jan. 20, Betts recorded nine blocks against then-No. 25 Baylor, a single-game record for the Bruins. And on Sunday night, in front of a roaring Pauley Pavilion crowd, Betts put her full arsenal on display. 

She poured in 30 points, pulled down 14 rebounds, and anchored the paint on both ends of the floor to help top-seeded UCLA pull away from No. 9-seed Richmond, 84–67, and punch their ticket to the Sweet Sixteen.

But if you ask her teammates, her greatest impact isn’t just on the stat sheet.

“Lauren just makes the game easy for everyone on this team,” said junior guard Kiki Rice postgame. “Her ability to shoulder so much weight and just do the inconsistent basics and show up for us every single day is something we really admire. So, I just love playing with her, and she’s only getting better.”

The duo’s chemistry has become one of the Bruins’ most lethal weapons.

“It makes life easy,” Rice said with a smile. “As a point guard, knowing that I can throw the ball up to Lauren. … I think I threw her a lob one time, it wasn’t a great pass, but she caught the ball. Probably would have had another turnover if she didn’t have the amazing hands that she does.”

The Naismith Player of the Year award, presented annually to the nation’s top college basketball player, will be announced on Wednesday, April 2 at the Embarc Collective in Tampa during the Women’s Final Four. 

With a spot in the Sweet Sixteen secured and Betts now officially a finalist for the game’s top honor, the Bruins will shift their focus to Spokane, where they’ll face No. 5-seed Ole Miss on Friday, March 28.

Betts may be closing in on individual accolades, but for her and the Bruins, the mission is still very much a team one.

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