Houston’s LJ Cryer fell just short last year in his bid to become the first men’s basketball player to win an NCAA Tournament at two different schools.
LSU’s MiLaysia Fulwiley now is trying to accomplish the feat on the women’s side.
Fulwiley was part of South Carolina’s 2024 national championship team and its runner-up squad last year before switching schools. LSU (27-5) is the No. 2 seed in the Sacramento 2 Region and hosts Jacksonville (24-8) in a first-round
game on Sunday.
During an era in which student-athletes can transfer from one school to another without sitting out a year, the possibility of a player winning a national championship at two different programs becomes much more realistic.
Cryer nearly pulled it off before finishing his college career.
Cryer played on Baylor’s 2021 national championship team and stayed with the Bears two more seasons before spending two years at Houston. He ended his college career in the 2025 NCAA Tournament final and scored 19 points in Houston’s 65-63 loss to Florida, a game the Cougars had led virtually the whole way.
Now it’s Fulwiley’s turn.
She had nine points, four rebounds and four assists and one block in 18 minutes when South Carolina beat Iowa 87-75 in the 2024 NCAA Tournament final. Last season, Fulwiley had nine points, four assists, two rebounds, two steals and a block in 18 minutes as South Carolina fell 82-59 to UConn in the championship game.
After averaging 11.7 points each of her two seasons at South Carolina, Fulwiley has 14.7 points per game at LSU this season. She averages 3 steals per game to rank 18th among all Division I players. She also averages 3.8 rebounds and 3.7 assists per game.
Here’s a look at some other notable women’s players making their first NCAA Tournament appearance at a new school after previously getting to this stage with a different program.
Kneepkens scored 24 points for Utah in a first-round loss to Indiana last year. She averaged 14.3 points and seven rebounds in three NCAA Tournament games in 2023, including a 20-point, eight-rebound performance in a Sweet 16 loss to LSU. She scored 16 points in a first-round win over Arkansas and four in a second-round loss to Texas in 2022. Kneepkens has 13.4 points, 3.3 rebounds and 3 assists per game for UCLA this season.
Latson played three NCAA Tournament games at Florida State and scored at least 25 points in each of them. She had 28 points in a first-round win over George Mason and 30 in a second-round loss to LSU last year. Latson had 25 points in a first-round loss to Alabama in 2024. The 5-8 guard averages 14.3 points, 2.7 rebounds and 3.5 assists per game this season.
McMahon averaged 18.1 points in eight NCAA Tournament games at Ohio State over the last three seasons. She had 18.3 points and 6.5 rebounds per game during the Buckeyes’ run to a regional final in 2023. McMahon scored 27 points in a second-round loss to Duke in 2024. McMahon scored 15 points in a first-round win over Montana State and 17 in a second-round loss to Tennessee last year. The 6-footer is averaging 19.9 points, 5.3 rebounds and 3 assists for Ole Miss this season.
Miles had a triple-double in her first career NCAA Tournament game with 12 points, 11 rebounds and 11 assists in Notre Dame’s 2022 opening-round victory over UMass. She averaged 14 points, 8 rebounds and 9.7 assists during that Sweet 16 run. A knee injury kept Miles from playing in the NCAA Tournament in 2023 and 2024. She averaged 6.7 points, 5.3 assists and 2.7 rebounds during Notre Dame’s three NCAA Tournament games last season. The 5-10 guard has 19.6 points, 6.9 rebounds and 5.3 assists per game for TCU.
Okananwa averaged 9.8 points and 7.3 rebounds in four NCAA Tournament games with Duke last season. She scored 15 points in a first-round win over Lehigh and had 12 points and 12 rebounds in a Sweet 16 triumph over North Carolina. She provided 15 points and six assists in a Sweet 16 loss to UConn in 2024. The 5-10 guard is averaging 18 points, 5.5 rebounds and 2.1 assists with Maryland.
Pierre had 17 points in Vanderbilt’s first-round overtime loss to Oregon last season. A year earlier, she scored 11 points in each of Vanderbilt’s two NCAA Tournament games — a First Four win over Columbia and a round of 64 loss to Baylor. The 6-2 forward has 16.8 points and 12.4 rebounds per game for N.C. State this season.
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AP March Madness bracket: https://apnews.com/hub/ncaa-mens-bracket and coverage: https://apnews.com/hub/march-madness
