Upon the release of the Naismith Award finalists roster this Tuesday, Angel Reese’s absence was conspicuous. Though it’s customary for only four players nationwide to secure a spot on the shortlist, Reese’s exclusion raised eyebrows. As the standout performer for LSU, the reigning national champions, Reese garnered the title of Southeastern Conference Player of the Year and clinched her third consecutive All-American designation.

However, upon further scrutiny, the rationale behind her exclusion from the Naismith List becomes apparent.

5 reasons why Angel Reese was snubbed from Naismith finalist list

5, It’s South Carolina’s season

If there’s been one dominant narrative this season, it’s been South Carolina’s rise. The Gamecocks haven’t just maintained their No. 1 ranking throughout the season; they’ve remained undefeated and faced minimal challenges. Despite lacking a Naismith Award finalist, their influence has been pervasive, particularly within the SEC.

While LSU began the season as the preseason favorite, they quickly relinquished that position to South Carolina after losing their opening game to Colorado. This shift is evident not only in the conference standings but also in the broader landscape of college basketball. Angel Reese, Flau’jae Johnson, and Kim Mulkey enjoyed some attention before the season commenced.

However, neither LSU nor Reese has presented a compelling case to displace South Carolina from the top spot. The Gamecocks defeated LSU on their home court, and they repeated that victory in the SEC Tournament final.

4, Reese was better last season

It’s easy to overlook that Reese wasn’t among the award finalists in 2023. That roster featured Caitlin Clark as the winner, alongside Aaliyah Boston, Elizabeth Kitley, and Maddy Siegrist. However, the crux of the matter lies in the comparative performance between Reese’s 2023 and 2024 seasons. In 2023, she stood out as the Most Outstanding Player of the NCAA Tournament, but her 2024 season failed to match that standard. If her stellar 2023 campaign didn’t secure her a spot on the finalist list, it’s challenging to advocate for her inclusion in 2024.

During the 2023 season, Reese boasted impressive averages of 23.0 points and 15.4 rebounds per game for the LSU Tigers, who clinched the national title. This season, notwithstanding her absence from four games, Reese’s averages have dipped to 18.7 points and 13.2 rebounds per game. Her shooting efficiency has also declined from 52.5% to 47.9%. Although she’s never been a primary ball handler, her turnovers have increased from 2.2 to 2.5 per game.

Despite her slightly diminished output in 2024, Reese has still maintained an impressive level of productivity. She has secured All-American honors and consistently recorded double-doubles, all while competing in one of the most challenging conferences in college basketball. Additionally, LSU bolstered its roster with three notable additions: Aneesah Morrow, a transfer from DePaul who earned honorable mention All-American recognition; Hailey Van Lith, a transfer from Louisville; and Mikayla Williams, the SEC Freshman of the Year. Furthermore, Aalyah Del Rosario joined Williams on the All-SEC Freshman team.

In recognition of her defensive prowess, Reese was named a semifinalist for the Naismith Defensive Player of the Year award and earned a spot on the All-SEC Defensive Team for the second consecutive year. Despite experiencing a slight statistical decline, she still led the SEC in both scoring and rebounding, becoming only the second player in league history to achieve this feat. Additionally, she received her second consecutive selection to the AP All-America team.

Nevertheless, Reese’s performance this season pales slightly in comparison to her stellar showing a year ago, when she similarly missed out on the Naismith list.

3, LSU isn’t the nation’s best team this year

A season ago, Reese was a beast on the nation’s top team. LSU hasn’t sniffed that spot this time around. After being selected preseason No.1, LSU (30-5) hasn’t risen above No. 7 during the regular season. They were ranked eighth in the final poll this season.

Relatively speaking, LSU has had a rougher season than a year ago, but a year ago, observers thought the Tigers benefited from a weak schedule. The Tigers began last season ranked No. 16, entered the NCAA Tournament at No. 4 and finished 34-2 with the national championship. LSU was a No. 3 seed in last year’s tournament and is a No. 3 seed again.

Not being on the No. 1 team doesn’t disqualify Reese. One can win the Naismith award outside of being on a top team. But it would be a factor in support of Reese’s candidacy. As it stands, she had a better year last year and her team had a better year last year. She wasn’t a Naismith finalist then, and it seems odd to argue that she should be now

2, Off-court distractions hurt Reese’s candidacy.

In November, Reese not only found herself benched in the second half of a blowout win over Kent State but at the center of some team dissension. She was then benched for four games. LSU coach Kim Mulkey, rarely forthcoming with inner-team details, confirmed only that the absence was related to locker room issues.

It’s a hard sell for Reese to be considered one of the top players in the country when her presence was apparently a negative to her own team at one point. While the full details of what happened and why may never be known, the optics of the situation aren’t good. A player who misses over a 10th of the season due to team turmoil isn’t generally considered the nation’s best player.

1, The 2024 field is historically strong.

It’s not as if the rest of women’s basketball was sitting around while Reese played the 2023-24 season. The current Naismith field is as strong as any. Caitlin Clark is both the defending winner and the sport’s all-time leading scorer. JuJu Watkins is completing a historically strong freshman season. Paige Bueckers is putting together a brilliant comeback campaign.

That leaves only Cameron Brink of Stanford. She’s a brilliant and charismatic player on a team with a No. 1 NCAA Tournament seed. If there’s a spot in the list where Reese could have landed, Brink’s place might be the one. But Brink combines similar offensive production with record-setting shot-blocking. She’s also not embroiled her team in turmoil. Those who selected the field got it right.