Women’s basketball transfer portal team rankings: Oklahoma State, UCLA lead rankings

Yahoo Sports2h ago12 min readOriginal source →

TL;DR

Oklahoma State and UCLA lead the rankings in women's basketball transfer portal team updates. Most top players have chosen their new teams as the transfer portal season concludes.

Key points

Oklahoma State and UCLA lead women's basketball transfer rankings
Top 100 players have chosen new teams in the transfer portal
Challenges include fitting in with new teammates and coaching styles
Coaches express excitement about their new rosters

Mentioned in this story

Jacie HoytMolly Miller

Oklahoma StateUCLAArizona State

It’s been more than a month since the transfer portal opened for women’s college basketball. The dust has largely settled on a busy portal season and most of the top 100 or so players in the nation have picked new destinations.

We don’t know how the players will fit in with new teammates, if they can thrive in different conferences, or how they’ll adjust to different coaching style.

But we know what the rosters look like, how good all these players have been in previous seasons and — judging from social media posts — we know which coaches are excited about their teams for next season.

“Grateful for players that believed in a vision and that had the courage to blaze their own path,” Oklahoma State coach Jacie Hoyt wrote on X. “Grateful for a staff that worked tirelessly to make it happen.”

“When the staff gets it right in the portal and in the freshman class… Proud of our program,” Arizona State coach Molly Miller wrote on X. “The work is the reward.”

Here are USA TODAY Sports’ top 15 portal class rankings for women’s college basketball:

1. Oklahoma State

Key additions: Audi Crooks (Iowa State), Liv McGill (Florida), Ellie Brueggemann (Lindenwood), Nènè Ndiaye (Rutgers)

It’s difficult to argue any other team had a better portal haul than Jacie Hoyt’s Cowgirls, who landed the nation’s second-leading scorer in Crooks, a dynamic guard in McGill, a sharpshooting deep threat in Brueggemann and a versatile forward in Ndiaye. Oklahoma State also picked up former Baylor guard Yuting Deng, Utah guard LA Sneed and Missouri State guard Zoe Canfield to shore up the Cowgirls’ depth in the backcourt. Pairing all those pieces with returner All-Big 12 selection Stailee Heard makes Oklahoma State a team capable of a deep run in March.

2. UCLA

Key additions: Addy Brown (Iowa State), Elina Aarnisalo (North Carolina), Donovyn Hunter (TCU), Bonnie Deas (Arkansas)

After winning the national championship, UCLA sent their top six players off to the WNBA. Aside from Sienna Betts, the roster seemed thin. But then coach Cori Close and her staff brought in an impressive collection of talent, headlined by the do-it-all Iowa State forward Brown. After a season at UNC, where she helped the Tar Heels advance to the Sweet 16, Aarnisalo returned to UCLA. The Bruins rounded out their portal class with a top SEC rookie in Deas, one of TCU’s top players in Hunter, and Notre Dame’s KK Bransford. Count on the Bruins being competitive in March again.

3. Ole Miss

Q&A

Which teams are leading the women's basketball transfer portal rankings?

Oklahoma State and UCLA are currently at the top of the women's basketball transfer portal team rankings.

How many players have moved in the women's basketball transfer portal?

Most of the top 100 players in women's college basketball have selected new destinations since the transfer portal opened.

What challenges do players face when transferring to new teams in women's basketball?

Players may struggle with fitting in with new teammates, adjusting to different conferences, and adapting to various coaching styles.

What are coaches saying about their teams after the transfer portal season?

Coaches like Jacie Hoyt from Oklahoma State and Molly Miller from Arizona State have expressed gratitude for their players and excitement about their teams' prospects for the upcoming season.