BATON ROUGE, La. – LSU junior guard MiLaysia Fulwiley was named to the 2026 Naismith Defensive Player of the Year Watch List Tuesday afternoon, the Atlanta Tipoff Club announced.
The list consisting of 25 collegiate players includes Fulwiley who has developed her defensive skills since joining the LSU program in the offseason. 12 of the 25 players listed play for an SEC program.
Fulwiley is enjoying her best season thus far in her college career, averaging 14.5 points 3.4 rebounds and 3.5 assists per contest. On the defensive side of the ball, Fulwiley has accumulated 24 blocks and 71 steals through 21 games played. Her 71 steals ranks first in the Southeastern Conference and ranks ninth nationally.
The Columbia, S.C. native averages 3.3 steals per game, which is second in the league and 13th in the NCAA.
The sixth-ranked LSU women’s basketball team returns to action Thursday night for the annual Play4Kay game against the Arkansas Razorbacks. The Tigers will host Alabama on Sunday to conclude week 13 of the regular season.
2026 Naismith Defensive Player of the Year Watch List
KK Arnold, UConn
Raegan Beers, Oklahoma
Lauren Betts, UCLA
Mikayla Blakes, Vanderbilt
Maidson Booker, Texas
Kennedy Cambridge, Ohio State
Talaysia Cooper, Tennessee
Julia Dalan, Portland
Jazzy Davidson, Southern Cal
Joyce Edwards, South Carolina
Toby Fournier, Duke
Madison Francis, Mississippi State
MiLaysia Fulwiley, LSU
Rori Harmon, Texas
Jordan Harrison, West Virginia
Hannah Hidalgo, Notre Dame
Uche Izoje, Syracuse
Raven Johnson, South Carolina
Rashunda Jones, Michigan State
Latasha Lattimore, Ole Miss
Indya Nivar, North Carlina
Khamil Pierre, NC State
Ny’Ceara Pryor, Texas A&M
Clara Strack, Kentucky
Sarah Strong, UConn