UCLA's point guard capped off her pro-ready résumé with a title and should hear her name called early on Monday night
By Jack Maloney Apr 10, 2026 at 1:07 pm ET • 7 min read 
Getty Images As time wound down in the first quarter of the 2026 NCAA women's national championship game, Kiki Rice used a screen from Sienna Betts at the top of the key, drove left and stepped back into a 3-pointer that caught nothing but net just before time expired.
The shot gave UCLA an 11-point lead over South Carolina, and the Bruins' advantage would never again drop below double digits en route to their first national title in the NCAA era. Their veteran point guard finished the day with 10 points, six rebounds, five assists and three steals in a typical all-around performance that helped her earn a spot on the All-Tournament Team.
Rice, who was the highest-ranked recruit in program history and was named co-MVP of the 2022 McDonald's All-American game alongside Bruins teammate Gabriela Jaquez, has always been talented. Now, after the best season of her collegiate career, she's a champion and potential lottery pick in the 2026 WNBA Draft.
KIKI RICE BUZZER BEATER 🚨🐻 📺 ABC #B1G x @UCLAWBB pic.twitter.com/js0QREYvNw
— Big Ten Conference (@bigten) April 5, 2026
Rice 'set the standard' for UCLA's program
Rice's continual improvement throughout her time in Los Angeles has been rooted in her obsessive work ethic.
"People comment all the time when they come and watch us from the WNBA, that our preparation and work ethic is maybe unmatched in what they've seen," UCLA coach Cori Close said at Big Ten Media Day before the season. "The reality of that is because Kiki Rice set a new standard for our program."
When asked about Rice at the Big Ten Tournament in Indianapolis last month -- which the Bruins won in style -- the first thing multiple teammates mentioned was how hard Rice works. Whether it's in the weight room, the film room, or on the court, Rice is always pushing herself.
"Every single day I'm focused on getting better," Rice said. "When you play with better players," and "at a higher level, you need to add levels to your game."
'We're a professional organization': How Cori Close built UCLA into a champion in the NIL era Lindsay Gibbs
Each summer, she picks a specific area to improve and puts in extra time in that department. The dedication has paid off.
As a senior, Rice averaged 14.9 points, 5.9 rebounds, 4.3 assists and 1.5 steals on 49/38.5/90.2 shooting splits. Save for assists, all of those numbers were career-highs. She was named to the All-Big Ten First Team and All-Big Ten Defensive Team, the AP All-American Third Team and the NCAA All-Tournament Team.
Everything starts with the 'foundation'
Coming in as a freshman, the 5-foot-11 Rice was "really, really comfortable" driving downhill, which she still calls the "foundation" of her game. "She's strong, she's big, she's tall," Iowa coach Jan Jensen said after Rice put up 15 points, eight assists and three steals to lead UCLA to a historic 51-point win over the Hawkeyes in the Big Ten Tournament title game last month.
Rice's size and athleticism give her an advantage against most guards, and her desire to get into the paint is where her success starts on the offensive end. While she could still improve as a finisher -- 61% in the restricted area as a senior -- she has an excellent in-between game. Stunningly, 57.4% of her field goal attempts came in the paint in her final college season.
Here's how that compares to some recent top guard prospects:
PlayerSeason% of FGA in paintKiki Rice
2026
57.4%
2024
45.1%
2025
41.7%
2025
34.4%
2024
34.2%
Because she lives in the paint, Rice consistently gets to the free-throw line. She had a 41.8% free throw rate as a senior and shot a career-high 90.2% on a career-high 4.3 free throw attempts per game.
"When she's getting downhill and attacking the rim, that's great for us," UCLA guard Charlisse Leger-Walker said last month before Rice averaged six free throw attempts per game during the NCAA Tournament and went 34 of 36 from the line.
Rice's steady improvement as a shooter has made it more difficult for teams to sit off of her or go under on screens. As a freshman, Rice shot 39% on pull-up 2-pointers and 21.1% from 3-point range overall, including 25.6% on catch-and-shoot attempts. As a senior, Rice shot 40.5% on pull-up 2-pointers and 38.5% from 3-point range overall, including 39% on catch-and-shoot attempts.
While Rice is still not a high-volume shooter -- 2.4 3-point attempts per game as a senior -- she's no longer a liability from the perimeter.
"Obviously, a good amount of it is mechanics and everything, but at the end of the day, it comes down to confidence," Rice said. "Confidence in yourself to knock down that shot. I think I've really grown in that."
The threat Rice presents as a driver, coupled with her improved shooting, opens up her playmaking game. She doesn't make a ton of highlight-level passes like Olivia Miles, but she consistently makes the right decision and is comfortable passing with either hand. UCLA was more of a post-up team than a pick-and-roll team, but when Rice did run pick-and-roll, the Bruins scored 1.01 points per possession off her passes. In those situations, she was particularly adept at hitting the roller.
Rice's aversion to mistakes is another positive trait. She turned the ball over only 1.7 times per game as a senior. And in 143 collegiate games, she had nearly triple the number of zero-turnover games (20) to games with five-plus turnovers (seven). Rice's 2.55 assist-to-turnover ratio ranked in the 99th percentile in Division I last season.
Rice 'most proud of' her improvement on defense
Last summer, coming off an embarrassing defeat to UConn in the Final Four, Rice chose defense as her area of focus. While she's always been solid on that side of the ball, Rice wanted to become elite.
She succeeded. Her 1.5 steals per game were a career-high, as was her 2.8% steal rate and her 2.7 defensive win shares. Her plus-4.5 defensive rate-adjusted plus-minus was slightly lower than in her junior season, but it still ranked in the 99th percentile in Division I. Furthermore, Rice only averaged 1.7 fouls per game as a senior, and for her career, she fouled out just eight times in 143 games.
Rice gave plenty of credit to those who worked alongside her, including "the support staff and my coaches who have broken down a ton of film and showed me, 'OK, these are pros that I feel like I can take aspects of their game from.'"
Her size and athleticism stand out even more on the defensive end. She can comfortably hang with anyone on the perimeter, from point guards to bigger wings, which is one reason UCLA had so much success switching on defense en route to their national championship. Rice moves very well laterally and is willing and able to fight around or through contact. UCLA guard Gianna Kneepkens called Rice "one of the toughest players every night."
Rice also has good instincts and quick hands, which she uses to cut off drives, force tough shots and generate deflections and turnovers.
"I worked a ton on [defense] in the offseason and really stepped up to the challenge of guarding the other team's best perimeter player," Rice said after winning the Big Ten Tournament. "I think me being challenged in that way… that's probably the area that I'm most proud of."
Rice's next step? Carrying her game to the WNBA
Athletic gifts and talent can get you far, but not all the way. Rice is a championship-winning point guard and a potential lottery pick because she also has all the intangibles that teammates, coaches and WNBA front offices want to see.
"I've seen Kiki grow a lot… in her leadership and how she communicates with our team," said Jaquez, who spent four years with Rice at UCLA. "I really trust her and how hard she works and how much she wants to win. That is such a great quality in a teammate because you can count on her."
Kneepkens, who joined UCLA this season as a transfer, said she was "most impressed" by the "type of teammate" Rice is.
"Just super grounded, humble, wants to get better, works super hard," Kneepkens said.
2026 WNBA Mock Draft: UCLA star Lauren Betts projected to go in top five after national title Jack Maloney
Perhaps the most impressive aspect of Rice's character is that it shines through so brightly that those outside of Los Angeles have taken note. "She talks, she leads, she's calm, she's steady," Jensen said, adding that Rice's leadership is "lethal."
It remains to be seen where Rice will be selected on Monday night, but WNBA front offices have certainly taken note of how her game has progressed.
"Rice has been positioned very well to carry a lot of responsibility on both ends and have weapons around her," a talent evaluator in a WNBA front office told CBS Sports. "She has been challenged to improve there and has followed through."
Don't expect her to be on the board for long.
Join the Conversation comments
