Ever since returning to the Big East in 2020, UConn women’s basketball has been the most dominant program in college sports, losing just three league games over the last six years. Thanks to its high school recruiting pipeline, the Huskies don’t need to use the transfer portal, usually having another batch of five-star prospects set to join.
The rest of the Big East has to use the transfer portal to rebuild their rosters to compete with UConn and become at-large NCAA Tournament candidates. Here’s a look at the top 20 impact transfers to watch for the league.
1. Anna Foley, 6-foot-3 senior center, Villanova
2025-26 stats (Quinnipiac): 10 points, 5.5 rebounds, 2.6 assists
Foley was a double-digit scorer in all three years at Quinnipiac, shooting 48 percent from the field. She was still an impact player despite coming off the bench last season, including a 24-point outing against Stanford in the WBNIT. Foley gives the Wildcats needed frontcourt size and depth, replacing 6-foot forward Denae Carter (8.6 points, 5.0 rebounds per game).
2. Johnea Donahue, 5-foot-8 junior guard, Georgetown
2025-26 stats (Bowling Green): 11.4 points, 5.8 rebounds, 4.0 assists
Donahue only shot 37 percent from the field last season, but she was still an all-around contributor for the Falcons. Not only was she a two-time all-league defender, but she also won MAC Defensive Player of the Year honors, averaging a whopping 4.2 steals per game, second-most in the country. She’s likely to be a lead guard for the Hoyas, improving their perimeter defense.
3. Karina Bystry, 5-foot-9 sophomore guard, Butler
2025-26 stats (Northern Kentucky): 14.8 points, 4.2 rebounds
In just her first year, Bystry led the Norse in scoring, shooting 37 percent from the field and 32 percent from three-point range. She had eight games of at least 20 points, including a 35-point outing against Purdue Fort Wayne in overtime. Butler, a team with zero double-digit scorers last season, is hopeful that Bystry can give them a boost on the offensive side of the court.
4. Tamar Singer, 5-foot-4 junior guard, Butler
2025-26 stats (Miami OH): 10.9 points, 6.9 assists
Singer started all 64 games in the past two years for the RedHawks, shooting 43 percent from the field last season. Another all-league defender, Singer averaged 2.6 steals per game and ranked in the top five nationally in assists. Her best game was a 21-point, 11-assist outing against Purdue. Singer has a good chance to start at point for Butler, potentially alongside Bystry.
5. Zoey Ward, 6-foot senior forward, DePaul
2025-26 stats (Iona): 13.8 points, 8.8 rebounds
Ward has developed into an All-MAAC performer the last three years, ranking second in rebounding. She shot 37 percent from the field and 30 percent from deep, along with 10 double-doubles. One of them was a 29-point, 15-rebound performance in a win over Saint Peter’s. After losing all of its frontcourt rotation pieces, DePaul will look to Ward to be its next focal point next season.
6. Keira Hanson, 5-foot-8 senior guard, DePaul
2025-26 stats (Vermont): 14.3 points, 1.7 assists
Coming off two straight years of All-America East honors, Hanson shot career-high rates of 45 percent from the field and 43 percent from deep on 4.5 attempts per game. She had seven games of at least 20 points, including 22 in the round of 64 defeat to Louisville. After losing their lead guard to the portal this offseason, the Blue Demons will look to Hanson to be an impact newcomer in the backcourt.
7. Winner Bartholomew, 6-foot-1 junior forward, Georgetown
2025-26 stats (Pacific): 13.3 points, 5.4 rebounds
Bartholomew was the leading scorer for the Tigers last season, shooting 45 percent from the field. She had 10 double-digit scoring games, including a career-high 28 points at home against LMU. Not only does Georgetown have to replace 6-foot-4 forward Brianna Scott, but after going through a year where they didn’t have a single double-digit scorer on the roster, they’re hoping Bartholomew can have an immediate impact as a focal point.
8. Asia Donald, 5-foot-9 junior guard, St. John’s
2025-26 stats (West Georgia): 14.8 points, 5.0 rebounds
After averaging under 6.0 points per game two years ago at Indiana State, Donald became a breakout star for West Georgia, leading the team in scoring. She shot 44 percent from the field, scoring 10-plus points in 27 of 31 games. Donald looks to add a scoring boost to the Red Storm’s backcourt, which does bring back multiple pieces from last season.
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9. Diawna Carter-Hartley, 6-foot-1 senior forward, Xavier
2025-26 stats (South Alabama): 8.8 points, 6.3 rebounds
The veteran forward had roughly the same production at both Stetson and South Alabama the last two years. Carter-Hartley did shoot a career-high 31 percent from deep this past season, along with 18 points against Coastal Carolina in the Sun Belt Tournament. For a Xavier program that finished last in the Big East and had next to no scoring production in the frontcourt last season, they’ll look for Carter-Hartley to be a plus on that end.
10. Lili Krasovec, 6-foot-3 senior forward, Butler
2025-26 stats (Purdue Fort Wayne): 11.3 points, 5.4 rebounds
After two years of limited production at Boston College, Krasovec broke out in the Horizon, including shooting 57 percent from the field. She had nine games of at least 15 points, including 24 points and 7 rebounds in a win over Robert Morris. With leading scorer and 6-foot-4 sophomore forward Mallory Miller (9.6 points per game) gone, Butler hopes Krasovec can have an impact in the frontcourt.
11. MacKenzie Givens, 6-foot junior guard, Marquette
2025-26 stats (Xavier): 11.7 points, 4.4 rebounds
Givens is coming off a breakout campaign at Xavier, where she finished second on the team in scoring while shooting 49 percent from the field. She had six games of at least 20 points, including 25 points and 8 rebounds in a win over Cincinnati. With Marquette having lost three senior guards from last year’s rotation, it will look to the proven Givens to come in and be an immediate lead guard.
12. Taylor Barner, 5-foot-9 junior guard, Providence
2025-26 stats (East Carolina): 10.6 points, 2.0 rebounds
Barner was an impact scorer in her lone year with the Pirates, ranking third on the team in scoring and shooting 39 percent from the field. She has the potential to have huge games, such as the 30 she scored against Wofford and 32 in a win over Charleston Southern. Having to replace last year’s 5-foot-9 star scoring guard Sabou Gueye (15.6 points per game), Providence is hoping Barner can fill that void.
13. Sanaa Tripp, 5-foot-8 junior guard, St. John’s
2025-26 stats (Belmont): 7.9 points, 3.8 rebounds
Tripp was the Sixth Player of the Year in the Missouri Valley Conference last season, shooting 37 percent from the field and 26 percent from deep. Among her 11 double-digit scoring games was a career-high 25 points in a home win over Northern Iowa. She very well could play a similar role for St. John’s off the bench next season, providing a consistent scoring punch on the second unit.
14. Taya Ellis, 6-foot-1 senior forward, Butler
2025-26 stats (Bowling Green): 6.5 points, 6.7 rebounds
Ellis was a full-time starter last season, ranking in the top 10 in both rebounds and blocks in the MAC. She had three straight double-doubles at the end of the year, including 16 points and 16 rebounds in an overtime win over Ohio. Butler will look to Ellis to add frontcourt depth and interior defense.
15. Louis Volker, 6-foot-1 senior forward, DePaul
2025-26 stats (George Mason): 6.0 points, 4.7 rebounds
In her first year as a full-time starter, Volker produced career-high numbers across the board while shooting 34 percent from three-point range. Of her six double-digit scoring outings, one was a 14-point game against Liberty. The Blue Demons look for Volker to provide frontcourt depth and a floor-spacing option.
16. Hila Karsh, 5-foot-8 sophomore guard, Xavier
2025-26 stats (Purdue): 6.9 points, 2.4 assists
Karsh started 15 games as a freshman, shooting 36 percent from the field while finishing tied for second on the team in assists. Among her 10 games of 10-plus points was a 24-point outing in a win over Purdue Fort Wayne. With Xavier having lost both of its starting guards to the portal, Karsh has a chance to get back to being a starter with the new-look Musketeers.
17. J’Bionna Robinson, 5-foot-7 sophomore guard, Georgetown
2025-26 stats (Northern Arizona): 4.9 points, 1.9 assists
Robinson had a solid first-year campaign, playing around 20 minutes per game off the bench, shooting 40 percent from the field and averaging nearly two steals per game. Among her four double-digit scoring outings, including a season-high 19 points against Creighton, showing she can score against Big East foes. Look for her to find a spot in the rotation for a rebuilding Hoyas backcourt.
18. Maria Anais Rodriguez, 6-foot-1 junior forward, Xavier
2025-26 stats (Arkansas): 5.4 points, 3.0 rebounds
After limited production as a freshman, Rodriguez was a rotational piece at Arkansas, starting six games and playing 17 minutes per contest. Her best outings included 14 points against Kansas City and 10 points and 7 rebounds versus Texas A&M. As a proven high-major contributor, look for Rodguez to have a spot in the rotation for the Musketeers.
19. Kayl Petersen, 6-foot junior guard, Marquette
2025-26 stats (Virginia Tech): 2.2 points, 2.8 rebounds
While Petersen’s production and efficiency dipped compared to her first year, she still has 62 games of experience at the high-major level. Her two best games were at the start of last season, including 17 points and 11 rebounds against Towson. The Eagles will look for her to provide depth on the perimeter.
20. Saniyah King, 5-foot-7 junior guard, Seton Hall
2025-26 stats (Mississippi State): 2.5 points, 1.1 assists
The former MEAC Rookie of the Year (Howard) struggled at the SEC level last season, shooting just 30 percent from the field. King did have 13 points against Vanderbilt as her top game. The hope is that she should be able to offer Seton Hall some backcourt depth next season as part of its rebuilt roster.
Meet your guide
