TAMPA, Fla. — Winning a national championship is not the only thing at the top of mind for the Final Four coaches.
The last weekend of the NCAA Tournament is upon us, but college basketball’s offseason already is in full swing.
The transfer portal opened March 25 and will remain open until April 23, meaning that what essentially is college basketball’s version of free agency is live.
Some might view having to set time aside to recruit players as a distraction to preparing for the upcoming games.
But others, including South Carolina coach Dawn Staley, welcome the balancing act of coaching and dealing with the transfer portal.
Here are big storylines to know and follow:
Olivia Miles and Notre Dame
Senior All-American guard Olivia Miles made the shocking decision not only to forgo the 2025 WNBA Draft for another year of college ball, but she also entered the transfer portal.
Miles, a projected WNBA lottery pick, is considered the top player in the portal after averaging 15.4 points, 5.8 assists and 5.6 rebounds per game this past season.
But she’s decided to move on from the Irish after Notre Dame experienced its fourth straight Sweet 16 exit.
Since Miles’ announcement, more Notre Dame players have decided to enter their names into the portal, including sophomore Emma Risch and freshman Kate Koval.
With Sonia Citron, Liatu King, Maddy Westbeld and Liza Karlen all out of eligibility, the Irish’s only regular starter expected to return for next season is Hannah Hidalgo.
Flau’jae Johnson skipping draft
All-American guard Flau’jae Johnson also reportedly is skipping the WNBA draft and plans to return to college basketball for her senior season.
Whether Johnson will return to LSU for the 2025-26 season or enter the transfer portal before the window closes remains unclear.
Her marketability, though, is undeniable.
Johnson averaged 18.6 points, 5.6 rebounds and 2.5 assists in her third season at LSU.
She helped the Tigers reach the Elite Eight, where they were booted by top-seeded UCLA.
The Tigers are losing leading scorer and rebounder Aneesah Morrow, a projected WNBA lottery pick who’s out of eligibility.
They’re also at risk of no longer having forward Sa’Myah Smith and guard Last-Tear Poa, who reportedly submitted their names into the transfer portal.
Meanwhile, LSU has been linked to former Florida State guard Taniya Latson, who led the nation in scoring this season, averaging 25.2 points per game.
The TCU situation
Mark Campbell has fully embraced the modern college landscape since his arrival at TCU.
He got the Horned Frogs to the Elite Eight off the backs of a roster loaded with transfers, including fifth-year seniors Hailey Van Lith, Sedona Prince, Madison Conner and Agnes Emma-Nnopu.
TCU has three players signed to its 2025 recruiting class, but expect Campbell once again to be aggressive in the transfer portal.
TCU reportedly has landed at least one transfer already: 6-foot-7 center Clara Silva.
Silva spent her freshman season at Kentucky, averaging four points, 2.6 rebounds and 1.1 blocks off the bench.
Miles also could be an interesting prospect for TCU.
USC departures
The Trojans’ tantalizing freshmen, including Avery Howell, Kennedy Smith and Kayleigh Heckel, were part of the reason there was optimism for USC next season, even if star player JuJu Watkins would miss it while rehabbing from a knee injury.
But that belief took a big hit this week when Howell and Heckel entered the transfer portal.
The Trojans are set to welcome versatile wing Jazzy Davidson next season, which could be part of the reason for Howell’s exit.
But how this offseason shakes out for USC will be telling.
