Rashard Hall's NCAAW Transfer Portal Winners & Losers

With Khamil Pierre's transfer to NC State, the NCAA women's basketball portal officially closed. So who is trending up and who is trending down after all the movement? Rashard Hall takes a look.

The women’s basketball transfer portal has officially stopped spinning, leaving rosters across the country reshaped, retooled, and in some cases, riddled with question marks. In a sport where one player can tilt the balance of a season, the portal’s winners didn’t just plug holes — they landed difference-makers who can shift championship odds. The losers? They’re left piecing together rotations and chemistry on the fly. And then there are the tweeners, the programs whose moves could swing brilliance or backfire. With the dust finally settled, here’s how the biggest portal shake-ups stack up.

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Winners

Maryland:

Brenda Frese added two significant pieces in Oluchi Okananwa (Duke) and Yarden Garzon (Indiana) to an already well-rounded roster. Okananwa stood out during Duke’s postseason run with her ability to get to the rim and defend multiple positions. Garzon brings three-point efficiency and overall versatility. With key returners Kaylene Smikle, Saylor Poffenbarger, and Bri McDaniel, Maryland has the depth and balance to contend in the Big Ten.

South Carolina:

The national runner-up lost three seniors to the WNBA but addressed key needs through the portal. Ta’Niya Latson, last season’s national scoring leader at 25.2 points per game, gives the Gamecocks a proven offensive option who can create for herself and others. Madina Okot, a 6’6” center from Mississippi State, adds SEC-tested size and rim protection to a frontcourt that lacked physical length last year.