Oklahoma phenom Aaliyah Chavez shines on way to NCAA Tournament

Aaliyah Chavez arrived at the University of Oklahoma with high expectations, and it’s fair to say the freshman from Lubbock, Texas, has met or exceeded those goals while helping the Sooners reach the NCAA Women’s Basketball Tournament as a No. 4 seed.

After she averaged 18.4 points per game and earned seven SEC Freshman of the Week honors, she was named ESPN’s National Freshman of the Year. No freshman at Power 5 schools averaged more points than Chavez this season. 

Along the way, she has proudly represented Latinos and embraced the opportunity to inspire young Latinos to pursue their dream.

“So it’s huge just to know that I’ve made it here just because I want to show up for everybody (to) see that it’s possible if you put your mind into it,” she said. “You can make it as a college basketball player or you can do whatever you want to do.

“If you want to be a singer, if you want to be whatever, you can do it if you put your mind to it. So I feel like that’s what I’m proving to a lot of people who look like us.”

Aaliyah Chavez: Latina Excellence

The 5-foot-10 guard was one of only two freshmen named WBCA All-America regional finalists. Moreover, Chavez was named to the All-SEC Second Team and SEC All-Freshman Team.

If history is an indication and she remains healthy, she’s going to continue to be one of the shining stars of women’s basketball. Aaliyah Chavez and 2025 WNBA Draft top pick Paige Bueckers are the only players to have averaged at least 18 points, 4 assists and 3.5 rebounds per game while committing 3 turnovers or fewer as freshmen since 2009.

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There aren’t many Latinas playing Division I women’s basketball, but the odds are good that at least one Latina will land in the Final Four for the fourth year in a row. There are some exceptional Latina stars in this year’s NCAA Women’s Basketball Tournament.

2️⃣ is 1️⃣ of 1️⃣ 😤@AALIYAH2CHAVEZ was named the top freshman guard in the dance by @espn 👏 pic.twitter.com/DAZBcWjm9l

— Oklahoma Basketball (@OU_WBBall) March 17, 2026

Latinas to watch

Here are some top Latinas to watch in the 2026 NCAA Tournament. UCLA senior guard Gabriela Jaquez has been one of the top contributors in women’s basketball her entire career. The senior guard/forward hopes to help the Bruins reach the Final Four for the second year in a row.

Jaquez is third on the No. 1-seeded Bruins with 13.6 points per game and 5.4 rebounds per game. 

Notre Dame junior guard Hannah Hidalgo, a Second Team All-American, was a First Team All-American the previous two seasons. She leads the Fighting Irish with 25.9 points per game. Notre Dame is a No. 6 seed in the Fort Worth Regional, where 11th seed Fairfield awaits. 

Vanderbilt is the No. 2 seed in the Forth Worth Regional in large part because of freshman guard Aubrey Galvan. The SEC Freshman of the Year has averaged 13.1 points and a team-high 5.9 assists per game. 

Dominican center Aalyah Del Rosario, an LSU transfer, has averaged 1.4 points and 1.4 rebounds per game off the bench game for Vanderbilt. The Commodores will face No. 15 seed High Point, which features Nevaeh Zavala. The senior forward averages 8.9 points and 4.4 rebounds a game for High Point. 

Brazilian roster at Idaho

No team in the field features more Latinas than 13th seed Idaho, which will face Chavez and the Sooners. Brazilian senior Debora Dos Santos leads Idaho with 8.4 rebounds and 1.1 blocks per game. She is third on the team in scoring with 11.3 points per game. Brazilian sophomore guard Ana Beatriz Passos Alves Dos Santos is averaging 6.1 points per game for the Vandals.

Fellow Brazilian senior Lorena Barbosa averages 8.2 points and 4.4 rebounds per game for the Vandals. Sophomore guard Ella Uriarte averages 6.3 points per game for Idaho.

Diana Taurasi is a fan of Hannah Hidalgo:

“A player that I’m looking forward to watch (in the NCAA Tournament) is Hannah Hidalgo. I think she is one of those dynamic players that can get hot and can really put her team on her back.” pic.twitter.com/WPLEnMzWoo

— Isabel Gonzalez (@cisabelg) March 19, 2026

Georgia junior Enjulina Gonzalez has scored 3.3 points per game off the bench. The No. 7 seed is set to play No.10 seed Virginia. Sophomore forward Hally Moreno of the Bronx will try to help No. 14 seed Howard pull off the upset over No. 3 Ohio State. 

UTSA freshman point guard Adriana Robles will face No. 1 UConn. Robles, a native of Puerto Rico, has averaged 5.1 points per game. Junior guard Angelica Velez, a transfer from LSU, has come off the bench this season for No. 9 seed Syracuse. She averages 2.2 points per game. 

Brazilian freshman Taissa Queiroz has come off the bench for No. 4 seed North Carolina. Colombian senior Naylee Cortes hopes to help Charleston pull off the upset against No. 3 seed Duke. She averages 1.7 points per game.

LSU freshman Bella Hines has played in 30 games this season. She has averaged 4.1 points per game for the No. 2-seed Tigers, who will play No. 15 seed Jacksonville.

^{Photo courtesy of Asia Purnell/University of Oklahoma}