South Carolina's A'ja Wilson averaged 22.6 points per game on her way to winning the 2018 Naismith Trophy.
There are several candidates, ranging from sophomores to seniors, who are in the mix to win the Naismith in 2019. With that in mind, here is the official 50-player preseason watch list:
| NAME | CLASS | POSITION | SCHOOL | CONFERENCE |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kristine Anigwe | Sr. | C/F | California | Pac-12 |
| Kenisha Bell | Sr. | G | Minnesota | Big Ten |
| Allazia Blockton | Sr. | G | Marquette | BIG EAST |
| Kalani Brown | Sr. | C | Baylor | Big 12 |
| Kelly Campbell | Jr. | G | DePaul | BIG EAST |
| Bridget Carleton | Sr. | G | Iowa State | Big 12 |
| Chennedy Carter | So. | G | Texas A&M | SEC |
| Kaila Charles | Jr. | G | Maryland | Big Ten |
| Napheesa Collier | Sr. | F | UConn | AAC |
| Lauren Cox | Jr. | F | Baylor | Big 12 |
| Sophie Cunningham | Sr. | G | Missouri | SEC |
| Crystal Dangerfield | Jr. | G | UConn | AAC |
| Naomi Davenport | Sr. | G/F | West Virginia | Big 12 |
| Rennia Davis | So. | G/F | Tennessee | SEC |
| Cierra Dillard | Sr. | G | Buffalo | MAC |
| Asia Durr | Sr. | G | Louisville | ACC |
| Sam Fuehring | Sr. | F | Louisville | ACC |
| Megan Gustafson | Sr. | F | Iowa | Big Ten |
| Tyasha Harris | Jr. | G | South Carolina | SEC |
| Ruthy Hebard | Jr. | F | Oregon | Pac-12 |
| Lashann Higgs | Sr. | G | Texas | Big 12 |
| Joyner Holmes | Jr. | G/F | Texas | Big 12 |
| Anriel Howard | Sr. | F | Mississippi State | SEC |
| Sabrina Ionescu | Jr. | G | Oregon | Pac-12 |
| Chloe Jackson | Sr. | G | Baylor | Big 12 |
| Alexis Jennings | Sr. | F | South Carolina | SEC |
| Paris Kea | Sr. | G | North Carolina | ACC |
| Kitija Laksa | Sr. | W | South Florida | AAC |
| Kennedy Leonard | Sr. | G | Colorado | Pac-12 |
| Marina Mabrey | Sr. | G | Notre Dame | ACC |
| Tiana Mangakahia | Jr. | G | Syracuse | ACC |
| Tynice Martin | Jr. | G | West Virginia | Big 12 |
| Teaira McCowan | Sr. | C | Mississippi State | SEC |
| Beatrice Mompremier | Jr. | F | Miami | ACC |
| Mariya Moore | Sr. | G | USC | Pac-12 |
| Maci Morris | Sr. | G | Kentucky | SEC |
| Leaonna Odom | Jr. | F | Duke | ACC |
| Arike Ogunbowale | Sr. | G | Notre Dame | ACC |
| Teniya Page | Sr. | G | Penn State | Big Ten |
| Caliya Robinson | Sr. | F | Georgia | SEC |
| Satou Sabally | So. | F | Oregon | Pac-12 |
| Katie Lou Samuelson | Sr. | G/F | UConn | AAC |
| Jessica Shepard | Sr. | F | Notre Dame | ACC |
| Destiny Slocum | So. | G | Oregon State | Pac-12 |
| Alanna Smith | Sr. | F | Stanford | Pac-12 |
| Hallie Thome | Sr. | C | Michigan | Big Ten |
| Brianna Turner | Sr. | F | Notre Dame | ACC |
| Evina Westbrook | So. | G | Tennessee | SEC |
| Kiana Williams | So. | G | Stanford | Pac-12 |
| Jackie Young | Jr. | G | Notre Dame | ACC |
