Women’s college basketball top 25: Post-transfer portal, this SEC team looks like a contender
Photo by Tyler McFarland/NCAA Photos via Getty Images After adding MiLaysia Fulwiley, Kate Koval and Amiya Joyner, is LSU the team to beat next season? What about UConn and South Carolina? The transfer portal in women’s college basketball has closed and most of the best players left in the portal — with one big exception being USC’s Kayleigh Heckel — have chosen their new destinations. As rosters have changed, so have expectations for the best teams heading into next season. There were some squads who were big winners in the portal — like Ole Miss, TCU, Maryland and LSU — that have dramatically increased their ceilings for next year. Meanwhile, big questions remain about teams who lost a lot of talent, like Notre Dame. With rosters being reshuffled, it’s time for another way-too-early look at the contenders for next season. Six months away from the start of the 2025-26 season, here’s one writer’s look at the preseason top 25: Just missed: USF, Clemson, SMU, Illinois, Louisville, West Virginia 25. Iowa 24. Notre Dame 23. N.C. State The Hawkeyes remain in the way-too-early top 25 after essentially breaking even in the portal by losing Aaliyah Guyton to Illinois, but adding a promising young guard in Chit-Chat Wright from Georgia Tech. Notre Dame and N.C. State were two of the best teams in the ACC this past season, but haven’t done anything impressive in the portal yet after losing the majority of their starting fives from Sweet 16 squads. Both return two players that could contend for ACC Player of the Year in Hannah Hidalgo and Zoe Brooks, but will they be enough to carry the Irish and Wolfpack deep into the postseason again? 22. Ohio State 21. Richmond 20. Iowa State 19. Michigan 18. Kansas State In addition to bringing in three top 100 recruits, the Wildcats are also adding three solid transfers in Tess Heal, Izela Arenas and Ramiya White. Heal — a near 50-40-90 player this past season at Stanford — should be able to fill the void left by Serena Sundell at point guard, but the Wildcats will have to figure out how to play without an imposing frontcourt presence in the post-Ayoka Lee era. 17. Oklahoma State 16. Baylor 15. Kentucky 14. Vanderbilt 13. Ole Miss One of the biggest winners of transfer portal season, Yolett McPhee-McCuin’s Rebels have what seems to be an incredibly talented roster, on-paper anyways. After a run to the Sweet 16, Ole Miss added eight players in the portal, led by All-Big Ten forward Cotie McMahon, one of the nation’s top scorers in UCF’s Kaitlin Peterson, and a strong post player in Latasha Lattimore. The class also includes two players with SEC experience in Denim DeShields and Debreasha Powe, who join the other side of the Egg Bowl rivalry from Mississippi State. 12. Duke 11. North Carolina North Carolina did enough in the portal to remain looking like a team that should again compete for a top 16 seed in the next NCAA Tournament by adding Louisville’s Nyla Harris and UCLA’s Elina Aarnisalo. Duke will have to figure out how to replace the production of ACC Tournament MVP Oluchi Okananwa and the steady hand of reserve guard Vanessa DeJesus. 10. Texas 9. Oklahoma 8. USC 7. Tennessee Because of the way the Lady Vols play under Kim Caldwell — at a fast pace and deep into their bench — adding three talented rotation players like SMU’s Nya Robertson, LSU’s Jersey Wolfenbarger and UCLA’s Janiah Barker should fill any holes Tennessee had to fill. Barker is a player who many believe hasn’t reached her full potential yet, and she should get the chance to do that in Knoxville and could be an impactful player. 6. TCU 5. Maryland 4. UCLA Coming off their best season in program history, the Horned Frogs had to rebuild after losing Hailey Van Lith, Sedona Prince and Madison Conner. Mark Campbell went out and got arguably the best point guard in the portal in Notre Dame’s Olivia Miles and then put more intriguing pieces around her in Kentucky post Clara Silva, Texas A&M guard Taliyah Parker, Arizona State center Kennedy Basham, Cal wing Marta Suarez, and San Diego State guard Veronica Sheffey. Pairing those additions with key returners like Donovyn Hunter, Taylor Bigby and Aaliyah Roberson should give TCU a chance to make another deep March Madness run. Maryland was another huge portal winner by adding Duke’s Oluchi Okananwa and a pair of All-Big Ten talents in Indiana’s Yarden Garzon and Penn State’s Gracie Merkle. Okananwa is a dynamic guard who can swing games — as evidenced by her performances in the postseason this past March — Garzon was probably the best 3-and-D player in the portal, and Merkle has established herself as a commanding post threat. UCLA lost much of its depth from its Final Four roster, but landed arguably the best 3-point shooter available in the portal in Utah’s Gianna Kneepkens. Playing alongside Lauren Betts, Kiki Rice, Charlisse Leger-Walker, Gabriela Jaquez and Angela Dugalić should result in lots of open looks for the former Ute. The Bruins al
After adding MiLaysia Fulwiley, Kate Koval and Amiya Joyner, is LSU the team to beat next season? What about UConn and South Carolina?
The transfer portal in women’s college basketball has closed and most of the best players left in the portal — with one big exception being USC’s Kayleigh Heckel — have chosen their new destinations.
As rosters have changed, so have expectations for the best teams heading into next season. There were some squads who were big winners in the portal — like Ole Miss, TCU, Maryland and LSU — that have dramatically increased their ceilings for next year. Meanwhile, big questions remain about teams who lost a lot of talent, like Notre Dame.
With rosters being reshuffled, it’s time for another way-too-early look at the contenders for next season. Six months away from the start of the 2025-26 season, here’s one writer’s look at the preseason top 25:
Just missed: USF, Clemson, SMU, Illinois, Louisville, West Virginia
25. Iowa
24. Notre Dame
23. N.C. State
The Hawkeyes remain in the way-too-early top 25 after essentially breaking even in the portal by losing Aaliyah Guyton to Illinois, but adding a promising young guard in Chit-Chat Wright from Georgia Tech. Notre Dame and N.C. State were two of the best teams in the ACC this past season, but haven’t done anything impressive in the portal yet after losing the majority of their starting fives from Sweet 16 squads. Both return two players that could contend for ACC Player of the Year in Hannah Hidalgo and Zoe Brooks, but will they be enough to carry the Irish and Wolfpack deep into the postseason again?
22. Ohio State
21. Richmond
20. Iowa State
19. Michigan
18. Kansas State
In addition to bringing in three top 100 recruits, the Wildcats are also adding three solid transfers in Tess Heal, Izela Arenas and Ramiya White. Heal — a near 50-40-90 player this past season at Stanford — should be able to fill the void left by Serena Sundell at point guard, but the Wildcats will have to figure out how to play without an imposing frontcourt presence in the post-Ayoka Lee era.
17. Oklahoma State
16. Baylor
15. Kentucky
14. Vanderbilt
13. Ole Miss
One of the biggest winners of transfer portal season, Yolett McPhee-McCuin’s Rebels have what seems to be an incredibly talented roster, on-paper anyways. After a run to the Sweet 16, Ole Miss added eight players in the portal, led by All-Big Ten forward Cotie McMahon, one of the nation’s top scorers in UCF’s Kaitlin Peterson, and a strong post player in Latasha Lattimore. The class also includes two players with SEC experience in Denim DeShields and Debreasha Powe, who join the other side of the Egg Bowl rivalry from Mississippi State.
12. Duke
11. North Carolina
North Carolina did enough in the portal to remain looking like a team that should again compete for a top 16 seed in the next NCAA Tournament by adding Louisville’s Nyla Harris and UCLA’s Elina Aarnisalo. Duke will have to figure out how to replace the production of ACC Tournament MVP Oluchi Okananwa and the steady hand of reserve guard Vanessa DeJesus.
10. Texas
9. Oklahoma
8. USC
7. Tennessee
Because of the way the Lady Vols play under Kim Caldwell — at a fast pace and deep into their bench — adding three talented rotation players like SMU’s Nya Robertson, LSU’s Jersey Wolfenbarger and UCLA’s Janiah Barker should fill any holes Tennessee had to fill. Barker is a player who many believe hasn’t reached her full potential yet, and she should get the chance to do that in Knoxville and could be an impactful player.
6. TCU
5. Maryland
4. UCLA
Coming off their best season in program history, the Horned Frogs had to rebuild after losing Hailey Van Lith, Sedona Prince and Madison Conner. Mark Campbell went out and got arguably the best point guard in the portal in Notre Dame’s Olivia Miles and then put more intriguing pieces around her in Kentucky post Clara Silva, Texas A&M guard Taliyah Parker, Arizona State center Kennedy Basham, Cal wing Marta Suarez, and San Diego State guard Veronica Sheffey. Pairing those additions with key returners like Donovyn Hunter, Taylor Bigby and Aaliyah Roberson should give TCU a chance to make another deep March Madness run.
Maryland was another huge portal winner by adding Duke’s Oluchi Okananwa and a pair of All-Big Ten talents in Indiana’s Yarden Garzon and Penn State’s Gracie Merkle. Okananwa is a dynamic guard who can swing games — as evidenced by her performances in the postseason this past March — Garzon was probably the best 3-and-D player in the portal, and Merkle has established herself as a commanding post threat.
UCLA lost much of its depth from its Final Four roster, but landed arguably the best 3-point shooter available in the portal in Utah’s Gianna Kneepkens. Playing alongside Lauren Betts, Kiki Rice, Charlisse Leger-Walker, Gabriela Jaquez and Angela Dugalić should result in lots of open looks for the former Ute. The Bruins also add the nation’s No. 2 recruits in Betts’ younger sister, Sienna.
3. South Carolina
2. UConn
1. LSU
One could make a strong case for either of these teams to be the preseason No. 1, but Kim Mulkey’s Tigers did impressive work in the portal by landing perhaps the most exciting player in the country in MiLaysia Fulwiley, stealing her away from their SEC rival. LSU also landed a center with a high ceiling in Notre Dame’s Kate Koval, and a versatile do-it-all wing in East Carolina’s Amiya Joyner, who averaged 15 points and nine rebounds this past season. Pairing that trio with Flau’Jae Johnson, Mikaylah Williams and three top 25 recruits should make LSU a contender for the national title.
UConn of course will be in a great position to defend their crown with Sarah Strong, Azzi Fudd and KK Arnold returning, and the addition of double-double machine Serah Williams from Wisconsin should only boost their chances of doing so. The Huskies also bring in two top 100 recruits and return key role players in Ashlynn Shade, Ice Brady, Jana El Alfy and a healthy Caroline Ducharme.
South Carolina lost Fulwiley and three starters to the WNBA, but reloaded by adding the nation’s leading scorer in Florida State’s Ta’Niya Latson and a player who nearly averaged a double-double last season in the SEC in Mississippi State’s Madina Okot. With Raven Johnson, Chloe Kitts, Joyce Edwards and Tessa Johnson returning around them, it’s reasonable to expect Dawn Staley’s team to be in position to make the Final Four again.
