Have been lurking here since I am a big Lexi fan and wondered if I was the only one shocked. I will not claim to know a lot (I actually know nothing) and I have only watched ISU basketball since she arrived. I have been a longtime women's basketball watcher, though.
I think there is almost no chance she ends up in Iowa City. The first reason is, as everyone said, there are limited or no spots. Second, though, she doesn't even follow Caitlin or Kylie on Instagram. I checked after Kylie left (wondering if there was bad blood) and they unfollowed each other. She also used to follow Caitlin and after checking just now, they don't anymore. I would say it is out of the question.
I predict schools such as UConn and Tennessee will recruit her heavily. After consideration, though, she would have to fight for a spot at UConn. Azzi, Paige, and Nika are guaranteed to get a lot of playing time next year. I know she was friends with Azzi (based on Instagram), but again, playing time would be the question.
She would likely fit well into Tennessee's program and they could use a guard like her. Oklahoma is another possibility if she decides to follow Aubrey.
The question is, what's her end goal? WNBA development and chasing a national title? I imagine it is not being the star of the team because, well, she would have likely been that at Iowa State next year.
While I could never see her going to South Carolina, does anyone see that as a possibility? Dawn obviously loves good defenders and she is one of the best in the country. Carolina's one weakness is 3-point shooting and she is a reputable 3-point shooter (struggled this year, but has proven success). They lose Cooke and Fletcher, and I imagine she could play alongside Raven Johnson as the 2-guard. Additionally, they have great post players, so that would open up the 3-point line for her.
I also thought Texas was a legit option, but she would have to compete with Harmon and Gonzales for playing time. Same thing with competing with Miles, Citron, and Bransford at Notre Dame for playing time. I imagine after 3 years of starting, she wouldn't want to come off the bench, but who knows. I also would hypothesize Indiana, but she is behind Moore-McNeil, Scalia, and Parrish, even though I believe she is an all-around better player than Scalia and would fit nicely in Indiana.
Other possible wildcards I could see are Louisville or Maryland. Both systems rely on defense and have used the transfer portal very well in the past, so I imagine they will be pursuing her hard. She would face similar struggles at Maryland as she did at ISU, though, since their post-game is almost nonexistent.
Then there are teams like Wisconsin and Montana due to the home / sister factors as people said. Also saw Drake comment on Twitter that she should reunite with a former HS teammate, so angles like that could play a factor.
The possibilities are endless. Wherever she goes, I'll continue watching and wishing her the best.
I was going to say just because a player enters the portal doesn't mean they are definitely leaving (even though likely), but damn, that Twitter post made it clear she is out. My guesses are Indiana or Louisville.