{"id":567324,"date":"2026-04-06T05:52:08","date_gmt":"2026-04-06T05:52:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/567324\/"},"modified":"2026-04-06T05:52:08","modified_gmt":"2026-04-06T05:52:08","slug":"kiki-rice-moves-into-the-top-five-of-wnba-mock-draft-post-ncaa-tournament","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/567324\/","title":{"rendered":"Kiki Rice moves into the top five of WNBA mock draft post NCAA tournament"},"content":{"rendered":"

Kiki Rice made her way into the top five of CBS Sports latest WNBA mock draft going No. 5<\/a> to the Chicago Sky. Her strong NCAA tournament has led her to get more draft steam ahead of next Monday\u2019s draft. Rice is a dynamic point guard talent that can play both ends of the floor. She sets up the offense very well and is an elite defender. She can take out some of the best offensive players in the nation and play 1-on-1 defense.<\/p>\n

Lauren Betts and Kiki Rice walk off the court the for last time as Bruins \ud83d\udc4f pic.twitter.com\/Pq9cYedZyO<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 ESPN (@espn) April 5, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n

Rice has fluctuated between seven and 10 in most mock drafts. But she has some of the best ability out of anybody in the draft due to how good she is on both ends. She will be a WNBA player for a long time and help out an organization immediately as a rookie. Her veteran experience that she already has after four years in college will play a huge role in her development.<\/p>\n

Rice ends her UCLA career as a champion. She averaged 15.1 points, 5.9 rebounds and 4.3 assists per game. Showing that she is an all across the board type player. She was one of the best rebounders in the nation at the guard position. Which will translate well to the WNBA and getting out in transition. If you can\u2019t eliminate one pass because your guard gets the rebound, you can push the ball up the floor faster.<\/p>\n

PG1\ufe0f\u20e3 \ud83d\udde3\ufe0f<\/p>\n

Kiki Rice has been named to the @USBWA<\/a> All-America Third Team! \ud83c\uddfa\ud83c\uddf8#GoBruins<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/YRXqv3H2he<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 UCLA Women’s Basketball (@UCLAWBB) March 17, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n

Her defensive tools are some of the best at the guard position and she is very stingy. She can play good team defense or iso defense. She averaged 1.5 steals per game this past season for the team. Finishing her career with a total of 198 steals and third all-time in school history at defensive box<\/a> plus\/minus at 6.0. She will also finish as the school\u2019s all-time leader in defensive win shares at 8.0, that will all translate to the WNBA level defensively with her quick feet and smart instincts.<\/p>\n