-
Charlie is generous
Multiple authors
All four No. 1 seeds advanced to the Sweet 16 of the 2026 NCAA Women’s Tournament. Thirteen of the top 16 seeds reached the regional semifinals. But with the next round set for Friday and Saturday, the holiday season officially begins for some.
Here’s your guide to the expected departures, returnees, top new recruits and where that leaves their personal priorities when the transfer portal opens on April 6.
Go to: Kentucky | LSU | Louisville | Minnesota
North Carolina | Vanderbilt
register: 25-1 (8-8 per second)
How their season ended: Lost to Texas in the Sweet 16
Expected trips:
Tony Morgan (13.9 PPG)
Tony K (11.4 PPG)
Amelia Hassett (10.6 PPG)
Jordan Obi (9.2 PPG)
Josie Gelvin (1.2 PPG)
Players with remaining eligibility:
Lara Strack (16.9 PPG)
Asia Boone (10.1 PPG)
Lexi Blue (2.1 PPG)
Kaylyn Carroll (3.5 PPG)
Gabe Brooks (0.8 PPG)
Dominika Burova (missed season due to torn ACL)
Elsa Vadfors (red shirt)
Top incoming recruits: Madin Greenway (No. 13)
Kenny Brooks signed one of the top classes in the country with three top-25 prospects, led by Greenway. Her speed, both physical and quick to process information, should make her a good fit for the way Brooks likes to play and the responsibility he places on his guards. The 5-foot-8 Greenway has been known in Minnesota basketball circles since she was in middle school, scoring more than 5,000 points in high school and drawing comparisons to Paige Bueckers. She averaged 36 points per game as a senior and won her fifth state title earlier this month after playing on varsity for six years. She started with the team when she was only in seventh grade. With 6-foot-0 Emily McDonald and 6-foot-1 Savvie Swords, sister of Michigan’s Sila Swords, Brooks may have his own backcourt of the future.
Portal priorities: Despite signing Greenaway, Brooks may be looking for a starting point guard. Using the portal to gain experience at the position has served him well in his first two years in Lexington, with Georgia Amory and Morgan. Brooks may not want to go with just a freshman at the most vital position in his offense for Strack’s final season. Key also pairs well with Strack, and it will be necessary to find another power forward who can rebound and run the floor to be in the top half of the SEC. If the 6-foot-5 Vadfors is ready to contribute, it would be a big boost. Boone is one of the best three-point shooters in the SEC, but so was Hassett. Brooks will need to find another shooter as well.
register: 29-8 (15-3 in ACC)
How their season ended: Lost to Michigan in the Sweet 16
Expected departure
Laura Ziegler (11.2 PPG)
Rena Scott (8.2 PPG)
Players with remaining eligibility
Tajiana Roberts (11.6 PPG)
Emari Perry (11.0 PPG)
Elif Istanbulloglu (9.8 PPG)
McKinley Randolph (8.6 PPG)
Anaya Hardy (4.9 PPG)
Peyton Bradley (3.8 PPG)
Reagan Bender (3.4 PPG)
Grace Mbugua (3.2 PPG)
Yevgenia Putra (2.7 PPG)
Rebecca Graves (1.7 PPG)
Isla Govermans (missed the season with a leg injury)
Top incoming recruits: Ariana Cradle (No. 34)
Almost everything the Cardinals did this season was by committee. This includes the point guard. Cradle gives Jeff Walz another option to share some of these duties. She could slide right into the rotation spot vacated by Scott and play either guard position. Known first as a solid defender who averaged 4.0 steals per game to go along with 18.3 points per game at Spire Academy, Cradle appears to be a perfect fit in Louisville’s system. Myah Epps is a 5-foot-10 true guard from Indiana and another top-100 recruit (No. 68) for the Cardinals.
Portal priorities: With plenty of experience expected to return, Walz can be specific about the transfers he adds. Ziegler was the key player last season, and another versatile senior would be useful to pair with Istanbulloglu. Ziegler was also a key part of Louisville’s three-point shooting, which ranked third in the ACC at 34.5%, but could also be spotty from game to game or even within a game. Finding a high-volume shooter or a catch-and-shoot threat would add more variety to the crime.
register: 29-5 (12-4 in seconds)
How their season ended: Lost to Duke in the Sweet 16
Expected departure
Flawjay Johnson (14.3 PPG)
Amiya Joyner (9.2 PPG)
Izzy Besselman (0.1 PPG)
Players with remaining eligibility
Michaela Williams (14.0 PPG)
Melisia Fulwaili (14.2 PPG)
Zakiya Johnson (10.0 PPG)
Jada Richard (9.6 PPG)
Grace Knox (8.9 PPG)
Kate Koval (8.6 PPG)
Bella Hines (4.3 PPG)
Megan Jarnevich (2.1 PPG)
Divine Jam (2.1 PPG)
Top incoming recruits: Lola Lampley (No. 29)
Although it seems strange to see Kim Mulkey’s recruiting class with only one name on it, that is the reality this year. But it also makes sense. The Tigers remain loaded with talent. Flau’jae Johnson is the only big loss and Lampley plays the same position. If the roster remains healthy, there will be some interesting battles in the preseason, including Lampley’s. Her 6-foot-2 size will help her as she tries to take minutes from Zakiya Johnson and Haynes. Lampley’s willingness to rebound should help her get down to earth.
Portal priorities: Expect some attrition. This is the landscape now for elite programs that have more talent than available minutes. It is only after these decisions are made that the list of priorities will become clear. If spots open up, expect Mulkey to move quickly in the portal to fill them. Last year, when Samia Smith and Aliyah Del Rosario left, the Tigers landed Koval and Joyner. When Hailey Van Lith left after the 2024 season, Cheyenne Day Wilson was added from Miami. If there is an area that needs to be addressed, LSU can use another perimeter defender or a power forward with a small shooting range.
register: 24-9 (13-5 in Big Ten)
How their season ended: Lost to UCLA in the Sweet 16
Expected departure
Battle of Amaya (11.3 PPG)
Sophie Hart (11.1 PPG)
Briley Glenn (6.4 PPG)
South Carolina (4.7 PPG)
Tracy Birchers (2.0 PPG)
Players with remaining eligibility
Tori McKennie (12.9 PPG)
Grace Grokulski (12.1 PPG)
Mara Brown (11.8 PPG)
McKenna Christian (3.7 PPG)
Niamia Holloway (1.7 PPG)
Kennedy Click (1.6 PPG)
Bryn Sinden (0.6 PPG)
Top incoming recruits: Nathalie Cosso (No. 40)
Koso was voted Wisconsin’s Mrs. Basketball, and should fit in well with Minnesota’s style of play. She is a shooting guard who averaged 26.6 points, 7.6 rebounds and 3.1 assists for state champion Arrowhead. Koso scored 34 points in the title match. The question will be where she fits in the rotation. With Brown missing the entire season with a second foot injury and McKennie and Grochulski expected to return as well, the backcourt has plenty of experience on the wing. With Patel gone, those minutes will be available. A point guard is needed; The Gophers added one with in-state recruit Torey Orlen (No. 58).
Portal priorities: The scorers are expected to return. Size is not. The recruiting class also included 6-foot-4 Adit Kuol, but if Minnesota is to repeat its top-20 season, coach Dawn Plitzuweit will have to get some veteran inside help. The 6-2 Tonga was a graduate transfer this year from San Jose State. This may be the huddle the coaching staff needs to dive into again. Hart, who was with the program for three years after leaving NC State, will be difficult to replace. She was the Gophers’ interior anchor, and Plitzuweit will have to reach higher in the portal to find someone with that kind of Power 4 conference experience. Minnesota would also have room for a true point guard.
register: 28-8 (14-4 in ACC)
How their season ended: Lost to UConn in the Sweet 16
Expected departure
Nyla Harris (11.5 PPG)
India Nivar (10.3 PPG)
Players with remaining eligibility
Lanny Grant (11.1 PPG)
Elena Arnesalo (10.4 PPG)
Sierra Toomey (8.9 PPG)
Nyla Brooks (8.7 PPG)
Renea Kelly (6.1 PPG)
Lily Hall (4.2 PPG)
Talia Henderson (3.8 PPG)
Taissa Queiroz (2.9 PPG)
Jordan Zubić (2.1 PPG)
Lisa Astakhova (2.1 PPG)
Blanca Thomas (1.7 PPG)
Sidney Parker (0.4 PPG)
Top incoming recruits: Kate Harpring (No. 4)
What should be a deep backcourt gets deeper and much better with Harpring. Harbring, the highest-rated recruit brought in by coach Courtney Banghart, should be a Day 1 starter at this point. A 3,000-point scorer at Marist School in Atlanta and one of five finalists for the Naismith High School Player of the Year, the 5-foot-10 Harpring has taken root in USA Basketball, winning gold at the FIBA U19 World Cup by averaging 8.3 points in seven games. Harpring, the daughter of former Georgia Tech star and 11-year NBA player Matt Harpring, has been named to the Nike Hoop Summit Team for 2026. Although four players are averaging between 10.3 and 11.5 PPG for UNC this season, no stars have been developed for the Tar Heels. Harpring could be that player in 2027.
Portal priorities: Any transfers will determine how deep Banghart goes in the portal. Harris was the team’s leading scorer and rebounder, and her work on the glass is perhaps what is most missed. North Carolina was only 10th in the ACC in rebounding with Harris, who was brought in on a one-year deal from Louisville, to do just that. Upgrading the boards will be necessary for deeper play in March. If there’s a veteran forward who doesn’t need to be an offensive priority, this could be the missing piece. If Grant, Aarnisalo and Kelly stay in Chapel Hill, the backcourt rotation will be full, but if a shooting guard becomes available, the Tar Heels could find a spot.
register: 29-5 (13-3 in ACC)
How their season ended: Lost to Notre Dame in the Sweet 16
Expected departure
Justin Bisot (11.4 PPG)
Sasha Washington (10.4 PPG)
You have created Mwenentanda (7.0 PPG)
Jada Brown (3.2 PPG)
Players with remaining eligibility
Michaela Blakes (27.0 PPG)
Aubrey Galvan (13.2 PPG)
Ayanna Mitchell (5.9 PPG)
Agha Makurat (3.2 PPG)
Ava Black (2.9 PPG)
Trinity Wilson (1.0 PPG)
Monique Williams (0.9 PPG)
Madison Green (red shirt)
Top incoming recruits: Olivia Jones (No. 14)
If anyone is looking for a player for Jones, they don’t have to look far. Black is the answer Jones’ strengths are as a driver and shot creator. Her Long Island Lutheran teammates include four other top-25 recruits, so Jones understands the high-level competitiveness. As part of the gold-medal-winning USA U16 team at the FIBA AmeriCup last summer, the 5-foot-11 Jones averaged 8.0 points and 3.8 assists. The Commodores didn’t stop there, as they also added 6-4 J’Jay Johnson from California, once again showing how Vanderbilt’s recruiting scope has grown under Shea Ralph.
Portal priorities: A large mobile phone would be a good place to start. The offense must spread so that Blakes and Galvan can maximize their individual skills. Traditional prism doesn’t work; The Commodores need someone who can manage the high pick-and-roll. This is what made Washington a perfect fit. Another floor spread shooter should also be at the top of Ralph’s portal wishlist. The opportunity to play with a mediocre star like Blakes and a passer of Galvan’s quality should be an easy sell. Targeting the right personality will be the biggest challenge facing the coaching staff.
0:24
Mikayla Blakes keeps Vandy close for a layup and -1
Mikayla Blakes keeps Vanderbilt close on a layup and -1 down vs. Notre Dame.
