Register with us (no credit card required) to read 3 articles per month at no charge. Subscribers also get to read article comments and make comments. Subscribers also get to read article comments and make comments. Mississippi State freshman forward Madison Francis is in the running for one of the top individual awards in Division I women’s basketball this season. She was named to the 2026 Naismith Women’s Defensive Player of the Year watchlist on Tuesday, one of 25 athletes and one of just four freshmen, to be recognized in the midseason list.