Top 5 women’s basketball programs that took the biggest hits in the 2025 transfer portal

By Umesh KumarSports

While women’s basketball had a series of transfer portal winners, it’s equally necessary that the sport had a set of transfer portal losers. For every team that rebuilt in the portal, another team faced the next season weakened by player losses. Here’s a rundown on five teams that came out of the portal definitely weaker than they entered the portal.

Top 5 women’s teams that took biggest hits in portal

The loss of Ta'Niya Latson to South Carolina was devestating to the Florida State Seminoles. (Photo Credit: IMAGN)
The loss of Ta’Niya Latson to South Carolina was devestating to the Florida State Seminoles. (Photo Credit: IMAGN)

5. Arizona

Arizona had a tough offseason independent of player personnel. Coach Adia Barnes took the SMU job. The roster than collapsed without her. Arizona lost 11 players to the portal, including three who followed Barnes to SMU. Sophomore guard Jada Williams (12.7 points per game) and sophomore forward Breya Cunningham (11 ppg) were the biggest losses. Tough times for UA.

4. Florida State

The Seminoles basically had a rough portal season based off of one player. The nation’s leading scorer, guard Ta’Niya Latson, took her 25.2 points per game to South Carolina. A three-time All-ACC pick, Latson’s loss is mammoth. State did lose five other players, but they’re here because of Latson. They did add Jasmine Shavers (14.9 ppg) from Texas Tech, but it’s still all about Latson.

3. USC

Southern Cal was already in a bit of a hurt because of losing several significant seniors off last season’s roster. Of course, the return of JuJu Watkins is the big story of the team. But the Trojans lost four players in the portal, two of whom were expected to bridge the transition in the team’s leadership.

Freshman Avery Howell (7.5 ppg, 3.0 rpg) and freshman Kayleigh Heckel (6.1 ppg, 1.9 assists per game) were both likely starters who now instead have moved on in the portal.

2. UCLA

The Bruins lost six players in the portal. While the stars from the team (Lauren Betts, Kiki Rice and Gabriela Jaquez) are intact, many of the likely supporting players have moved on. The biggest losses were junior Londyn Jones (8.5 ppg) and freshmen Janiah Barker (7.4 ppg) and Elina Aarnisalo (5.1 ppg). UCLA had assembled a top roster, but now has some work to do.

1. Notre Dame

The Irish were a top team in the preseason but saw their roster decimated in the portal. Olivia Miles is the big loss. Granted, Miles was likely to head to the WNBA, but instead, she took her 15.4 points per game to TCU. Kate Koval hadn’t put up big numbers, but she was a top recruit a year ago and is now gone to LSU. Notre Dame’s offseason certainly was a trying one.

What do you think of the programs that took a loss in the portal? Share your take on those teams below in our comments section!