Early women’s basketball top 25 after transfer portal season: South Carolina rises

As has been the case for the last few years, the transfer portal and coaching carousel has shaken up the outlook for the next season in women’s college basketball. When the season ended in Phoenix, Arizona earlier this month, there was much uncertainty surrounding the national champions, UCLA. The Bruins sent their top six players off to the WNBA and were only returning one significant contributor in Sienna Betts.

But Cori Close went into the portal and signed Iowa State’s Addy Brown, North Carolina’s Elina Aarnisalo, TCU’s Donovyn Hunter, Arkansas’ Bonnie Deas and Notre Dame’s KK Bransford, assembling a roster that should be able to make a competitive run in March. Elsewhere, Duke secured a major pickup in Aaliyah Crump from Texas, Michigan reinforced its roster with Courtney Ogden from Stanford, Iowa landed one of the SEC's best guards in Dani Carnegie, West Virginia signed on strong fits in Zahirah Walton and Skylar Forbes, and LSU got a point guard in Iowa State’s Jada Williams. Other teams completely rebuilt their rosters.

Oklahoma State looks like the biggest winner of the portal after adding a slew of talented players that include Audi Crooks and Liv McGill. At Tennessee, Kim Caldwell brought in 13 transfers. North Carolina, Arizona State, Ole Miss , Louisville and TCU also brought in key additions .

But South Carolina looks like the team that really won April. The Gamecocks didn’t have any of their non-WNBA Draft eligible players enter the transfer portal and Dawn Staley made two key additions after losing in the national title game . First, she signed transfer guard Jordan Lee away from Texas to fill a hole in her backcourt.