Just a few weeks ago, Notre Dame was on top of the world, sitting at No. 1 in the AP Poll, a team with championship aspirations and a roster stacked with talent. Now, in what feels like the blink of an eye, the Irish are scrambling to piece together a functional team for next season. “Notre Dame’s Olivia Miles… will forgo the draft and enter NCAA’s transfer portal,” came the news initially. Not three days in, the Fighting Irish are looking at programs that could soon be a threat and their own gaps that need filling. Yes, plural.

“It just changes every day. I love college. I think I’ve outgrown it a little bit, though, so that makes my decision tougher to stay. It’s comfortable, a place where you have security,” Miles had said just days before her announcement was out. None would have guessed what it would translate into, especially when you are a projected lottery pick and were a part of one of the best backcourts in the country alongside Hannah Hidalgo. But here we are, possible landing destinations rolling in.

On Yahoo! Sports’ Power Hour, Isis ‘Ice’ Young, a former standout and analyst, was asked about a plausible landing spot for Miles if she were to end up transferring. Young had a few ideas. “She’s a six-foot point guard that, you know, constantly is throwing out dimes, has great court vision, can also score the basketball. And, you know, she wants to play at the next level, which means she’s a player that’s coming in trying to get better,” she started.

Miles averaged 16.2 points per game while leading the ACC in assists (5.8 APG), proving herself as one of the best facilitators in college basketball. The better indicator of her growth? She shot 40% from beyond the arc this season– a whole 18% increase from the previous. Now, there’s an opportunity to build on more and raise her profile; Hailey Van Lith was an excellent example. And in quest for the same, Ice believes the guard fits the case for two programs.

LSU and South Carolina. “I feel like an LSU-type team could be fun. I feel like South Carolina is going to graduate a couple of guards. Oh, man, would she be fantastic under Dawn Staley,” she added.

LSU head coach Kim Mulkey has made it clear—she’s hitting the transfer portal hard after losing key players to the WNBA and transfers. Aneesah Morrow, Sa’Myah Smith, and Last-Tear Poa’s departures have left LSU with holes to fill, particularly in the backcourt and Miles and Falu’jae Johnson combination might just be the answer. Johnson is an elite scorer, and the former, a pass-first facilitator! But, of course, the Tigers aren’t the only ones in the running.

Staley loves two-way guards, and Miles is a defensive force, making her an ideal addition to the Gamecocks’ lockdown defensive system, which allowed just 56.3 PPG last season. And you know the South Carolina HC and her star-producing ability. A’ja Wilson. Aliyah Boston. Tiffany Mitchell. Allisha Gray. “The storytellers of the program,” she calls her players. Moreover, the Gamecocks will be losing two of its three starting perimeter players– Te-Hina Paopao and Bree Hall who are graduating seniors. Maybe we see a new match here.

But while this opens the door or excitement for Miles, the same cannot be said for her Notre Dame coach Niele Ivey.

Olivia Miles’ departure heads disappointing news for Fighting Irish

The star guard’s departure seems to have set off a chain reaction. Graduate center Kylee Watson is also entering the portal. According to On3’s Talia Goodman, Watson’s name appeared with a “do not contact” tag—usually a clear sign that she already knows where she’s headed.

Watson’s decision is particularly interesting given what she’s been through. She missed the entire 2024-25 season after suffering a knee injury in the ACC Tournament. She could have left at any point, but instead, she stayed at Notre Dame for an entire year, knowing she wouldn’t play. She remained active, cheering from the bench as the Irish put together a 28-6 season that ultimately ended in a Sweet 16 loss to TCU.

But now, she’s moving on.

Watson, who initially transferred from Oregon to Notre Dame ahead of the 2022-23 season, played a crucial role for the Irish when healthy. Over two seasons, she started all 64 games, averaging 6.5 points and 4.6 rebounds per game. A former McDonald’s All-American and the No. 17 overall prospect in the Class of 2020, Watson has played in 114 games in her career, making 73 starts. Now, she’s looking for one final chapter elsewhere.

Head coach Niele Ivey is left with no choice but to hit the portal herself, searching for reinforcements to rebuild a title contender.