NCAAW Hoops talk!

[Green Chile]

Kind of a surprise, but not really, Fulwiley entered the portal.
When they added Latson and Raven stayed, just not enough minutes to go around.

Whether it's the right decision or not (leaving Dawn rarely is, I'd imagine), not many players with her talent would sign up for a 3rd season coming off the bench.

I just hope she finds the right place, and gets it figured out. She's so fun to watch when she's on.

[Green Chile]

And TCU just added Cal forward Marta Suarez to go along with Miles and Silva. Campbell is reloading really well (again).

And great to see Michigan adding a little size in the portal. Kendall Dudley from UCLA and Ashley Sofilkanich from Bucknell (Patriot League POY).

There was always concern about the Michigan kids getting poached, so it's nice to see they are loading up around them.

[TheSuzerain]

Where's Fulwiley going? That one does surprise me.

[Green Chile]

Where's Fulwiley going? That one does surprise me.

Still no word, AFAIK. Some speculation about Ole Miss.

Also Oluchi Okananwa entered the portal and is apparently visiting Maryland (with a no contact tag, so you'd think Maryland is the leader).

Pretty big shocker for me. Duke is on the rise and Oluchi figured to be a big part of that. She seemed to love Kara and the program.

Would be a huge get for Maryland. Oluchi and Garzon would be heck of a portal pair.

[MrDollarBills]

Kind of a surprise, but not really, Fulwiley entered the portal.
When they added Latson and Raven stayed, just not enough minutes to go around.

Whether it's the right decision or not (leaving Dawn rarely is, I'd imagine), not many players with her talent would sign up for a 3rd season coming off the bench.

I just hope she finds the right place, and gets it figured out. She's so fun to watch when she's on.

It's unfortunate because I feel like she needs that firm guidance that Staley provides but I don't blame her for wanting to start. It's now Year 3 for her.

[TheSuzerain]

Fulwiley off the bench was ridiculous but I figured she'd stick around because it's South Carolina.

But it had to be rough watching Raven Johnson play on offense while you are coming off the bench.

[MrDollarBills]

Fulwiley off the bench was ridiculous but I figured she'd stick around because it's South Carolina.

But it had to be rough watching Raven Johnson play on offense while you are coming off the bench.

Exactly. I can understand the frustration.

It's a shame tho. But that's the NCAA now.

[Green Chile]

Reports that LSU is the frontrunner for Fulwiley.

This would be absolutely wild if it happened.

It would either be an absolutely perfect fit, or a total disaster (Mulkey luring another guard into a bad decision)

It would certainly be a lot of fun to watch. SC dealing with Flau'jae, Mikayla, Fulwiley, and a (hopefully) improved Koval would be a lot of fun to watch.

[Green Chile]

Also, Janiah Barker to Tennessee.

I just don't get it for Barker. She was a presumed 1st round pick for the W. Went to UCLA. DIdn't get minutes.

Now she goes to a program where Caitlin and A'ja would have been limited to 18 minutes a game. Good for UT, but I can't imagine how Barker can improve her draft stock there.

[MrDollarBills]

Reports that LSU is the frontrunner for Fulwiley.

This would be absolutely wild if it happened.

It would either be an absolutely perfect fit, or a total disaster (Mulkey luring another guard into a bad decision)

It would certainly be a lot of fun to watch. SC dealing with Flau'jae, Mikayla, Fulwiley, and a (hopefully) improved Koval would be a lot of fun to watch.

I don't like Mulkey after what happened with HVL. Ugh.

[Green Chile]

Milaysia confirmed it's LSU.

Skim Milkey was all over this even as LSU and Fulwiley were denying it. I say that because Skim has also reported that Milaysia wanted to stay at SC, but her mom wanted her to go for a bag.
No idea, but Skim has been on top of this.

Who knows, but none of this makes a ton of sense with Flau'jae, Mikayla, and some good young guards coming in. Apparenly, Milaysia has played some PG in HS, but it's hard to imagine Mulkey promised her a starting PG position.

It's going to be fascinating to see how it plays out, and I hope it works for her. Feels like a bad decision, but what do I know. Mulkey didn't help HVL as a transfer, but she surely helped Angel and Morrow.

[Green Chile]

Didn't pay much attention over the summer, and I didn't realize that Khamil Pierre transferred to NC State.
Personally, I think she's got a little Phee in her game.

Massive for NC State and devastating for Vandy.

The transfer is not without controversy, as she did it after the Spring transfer deadline. State apparently found a loophole so she could do it without sitting a year.

However it went, it sucks for Vandy. Shae Ralph is kicking ass at Vandy and I wanted to see her build something there with Pierre and Blakes.

Though, I assume Shae is just biding her time until she goes to UConn when Geno retires (which I assume won't be until Sarah Strong goes to the W).

But great for State. I think this makes them the favorite in the ACC, but we'll see.

[hermes]

iowa got a commitment from another 5 star out of california, for 2026. so next year we'll have two on the team

[Green Chile]

AP preseason rankings out.

Team Record Pts.
1. UConn (27) 0-0 771
2. South Carolina (4) 0-0 740
3. UCLA 0-0 705
4. Texas 0-0 672
5. LSU 0-0 647
6. Oklahoma 0-0 593
7. Duke 0-0 578
8. Tennessee 0-0 559
9. NC State 0-0 510
10. Maryland 0-0 461
11. North Carolina 0-0 440
12. Ole Miss 0-0 382
13. Michigan 0-0 375
14. Iowa St. 0-0 363
15. Notre Dame 0-0 289
16. Baylor 0-0 280
17. TCU 0-0 263
18. USC 0-0 235
19. Vanderbilt 0-0 229
20. Louisville 0-0 228
21. Iowa 0-0 130
22. Oklahoma St. 0-0 128
23. Michigan St. 0-0 103
24. Kentucky 0-0 93
24. Richmond 0-0 93

[Green Chile]

I think NC State probably belongs around that 6-7 mark.

Gonna be a wild season. I think the top 3 are a tier on their own (though I think UConn with Strong/Fudd/Serah WIlliams might be their own tier).

Texas and LSU right after that, as always. Gonna be so fun to see what LSU does with Fulwiley. For Texas, Madison Booker seems primed for a NPOY campaign (if anybody outside of Strong has a real shot).

So excited to see what Michigan does. Those sophomores are absolute studs, and I"m glad they all stayed.

[Green Chile]

Happy Tip-Off Day!

Excited to see Duke today. They seem on the cusp of taking the leap, and wouldn't be surprised if Toby started entering some All-America discussions.

UConn-Louisville tomorrow. UConn probably rolls, but Louisville is always competitive.

Tennessee - NCSU tomorrow is going to be absolutely fascinating. Huge early season matchup.

[Green Chile]

It was only NC Central, but the Heels' transfers and freshmen look really good.

Aarnisalo from UCLA looks like she could be huge.
Last year, we desperately needed another ball-handler/creator besides Kelly. Aarnisalo looks she'll be great at that.

Nyla Harris from Louisville is a solid veteran big that can hopefully fill some of the void left by Gakdeng.

All the freshmen look solid, but Nyla Brooks seems like she could be special. Big, long guard. Aggressive bucket getter that we really need.

This team is very good and very deep. We're winning the ACC.

[hermes]

hawkeyes won! we're going to be a lot more post-orientated this year, ava and hannah appear to be the truth

guard play won't be the dazzling level we've seen recently. wright is very good but the ball handling and playmaking of the rest of the guards doesn't move the needle a lot right now. addie deal needs some work - pressing too much. more time on the court and things will start to click for her eventually

[Green Chile]

Some random thoughts from what I've caught in the first few days.

UConn is great. Water is wet. We know what Strong and Azzi bring, but Serah Williams looks like a perfect complement to Strong. KK Arnold looks like she's ready to take a leap with more opportunity.

Loved what I saw from both NC State and Tennessee.

You'll hear a lot of rants about it, but UNC is going to win the ACC.

Vanderbilt could surprise again this year. Losing Pierre sucked, but they've got some solid bigs still there. Mikayla Blakes very well could be the 2nd best player in the country. They've got a spark plug freshman PG in Aubrey Galvan that seems like a perfect pairing with Blakes. SEC is brutal, but I think Vandy holds their own.

TCU might do it again. And be even better this time.
Miles would have been a Top 3 pick in the WNBA Draft, for good reason. Silva from Kentucky and Suarez form Cal were huge gets. Hunter is a great vet.
And they might be the biggest team in the country. They have 4 players that are 6'7" or more.

If Mark Campbell makes another Elite 8 run, his options will be almost unlimited. Or maybe he just keeps dominating at TCU in the portal era with that oil money.

[Green Chile]

Jazzy with a slow first half, but she's feeling it now.

The length, athleticism, handle, shooting, and defense. Easy to see her being a star.

Fantastic game so far though. State is so tough. Brooks, Pierre, and Trygger can hang with anybody in the country.