Julia Ayrault named to women's national player of the year watchlist

Michigan State Women's basketball has plenty to be excited about. The Robyn Fralick era has been special as they made the NCAA Tournament in 2023-24 in her first season, and they have taken an even bigger step this year.

The ladies sit 18-4 on the season and are right in the top-five fight in the Big Ten. They are also among the top 25 teams in the country. A lot of their success has been due to the effort of senior guard/forward Julia Ayrault.

Aryault leads the team with 16 points per game, along with right around eight rebounds and 2.2 assists per game. Her effort and performances this season aren't going unnoiticed.

Ayrault was recently named to the Ann Meyers Drysdale National Player of the Year watchlist. She became one of 50 players named to that watchlist.

Sure there are plenty of other big-time playmakers alone in the Big Ten like USC's Juju Watkins or Maryland's Shyanne Sellers. It's a hard award to win, and Julia likely won't get it but to see her among the top 50 players in the country certainly says something.

She has to once again be up for All-Big Ten accolades. Earning first-team status like she did last year would be huge for the sixth-year player.

The work she does every night for the Spartans is spectacular. It's great to see her earning some individual accolades. This Spartan team is fun to watch, and it should really be interesting to see where Ayrault along with Theryn Hallock can lead this team.

They are certainly going to finish with their best overall record in years. With plenty of big games still on the schedule, Julia still has a chance to continue showing that she's among the best players in the country, let alone in the Big Ten.

Keep it up, Julia.