Inside the Fierce Transfer Showdown: Which Hoosier Rivals Will Redefine Indiana Women’s Basketball in 2025-26?

Change is the only constant in college basketball, and as the 2025-26 season approaches, the Big Ten’s women’s hoops landscape is set for a shakeup like no other. The Indiana Hoosiers, familiar faces though they may be, won’t be facing the same old rivals alone—rosters all across the conference have morphed with a flurry of transfers, top-tier talent moving like pieces on a chessboard. It’s a whirlwind of new challenges and fresh matchups that IU fans and coaches alike will need to sail through with eyes wide open. From seasoned scorers switching jerseys to rising stars looking to make a mark, the competition’s intensity promises to spike, forcing Indiana to recalibrate its game plan to stay in the hunt. This early rundown gives a sneak peek into the movers and shakers Indiana will likely encounter next season, highlighting the most compelling transfers making waves across the Big Ten.

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• The Indiana women’s basketball team will have to face against Yarden Garzon next season, the former Hoosier who transferred to Maryland.
• Indiana will visit a UCLA team next season that added Gianna Kneepkens, the former Utah guard who was one of the top available transfers and faced the Hoosiers in the NCAA Tourney last season.

BLOOMINGTON — The Indiana women’s basketball team won’t be the only team in the Big Ten with a new-look roster in 2025-26.Indiana’s trip to College Park will be one of the program’s most talked about games with Maryland signing Yarden Garzon, a three-year starter for the Hoosiers (and fan favorite) who helped them reach the Sweet Sixteen in 2022 and 2024. She also broke the IU record for career 3-pointers. She was ESPN’s seventh ranked transfer and 12th ranked transfer by CBS.Indiana will face off against Kneepkens for a second straight year after the former Utah guard ended up at UCLA. She had a game-high 24 points in the Utes’ first-round NCAA Tournament matchup against the Hoosiers last season. Kneepkens, who is a three-time first team All-Conference selection, gives a loaded Bruins lineup added fire power as a career 43.2% 3-point shooter. She was The Athletic’s No. 3 ranked transfer and No. 4 ranked transfer by ESPN.

Top transfers Indiana women’s basketball will face during the 2025-26 season

Jalyn Brown, G, Michigan State (Arizona State)

The Australian native was Fresno State’s leading scorer (18.3 points) and rebounder (10.0) last season. She led the Mountain West with 19 double-doubles (tied for seventh nationally). Jacobs, who earned first team All-Mountain West honors, also showed off an impressive shooting touch from the outside as a 38% 3-point shooter who knocked down a career-high 68 threes.

Kara Dunn, G, USC (Georgia Tech)

Maryland’s other top transfers: Oluchi Okananwa (Duke), Gracie Merkle (Penn State)Michigan’s other top transfers: Kendall Dudley (UCLA)

Yarden Garzon, F, Maryland (Indiana)

Michigan State fended off top tier programs to land Brown. The guard led Arizona State in scoring each of the past two seasons — last year she averaged a career-high 18.0 points (sixth-most in the Big 12) — and received All-Conference honorable mention both years.

Michael Niziolek is the Indiana beat reporter for The Bloomington Herald-Times. You can follow him on X @michaelniziolek and read all his coverage by clicking here.

Mia Jacobs, F, Oregon (Fresno State)

There was a ton of player movement across the conference with some of the best players in the country moving in and out of the league.

Gianna Kneepkens, G, UCLA (Utah)

Ohio State hopes Todd can help soften the blow of losing leading-scorer Cotie McMahon to Ole Miss. Todd was a three-year starter for Boston College who had a career scoring average of 12.0 points. Last year, she averaged a team-high 13.7 points while shooting 45.9% from 3-point range, a mark that ranked fourth best in the country. She tied the program’s single-game record with eight 3-pointers against Miami last season.

Ashley Sofilkanich, F, Michigan (Bucknell)

USC’s other top transfers: Londynn Jones (UCLA)

Dunn earned All-ACC first team honors while leading Georgia Tech to the NCAA Tournament as its leading scorer (15.5 points). She put up career-best shooting numbers with a slash line of 49/35/80. The 5-foot-11 guard was also second on her team in rebounding (5.8). She was The Athletic’s sixth ranked transfer and 17th ranked transfer by ESPN.

T’Yana Todd, G, Ohio State (Boston College)

Serah Williams’ departure left Wisconsin with huge shoes to fill in the front court. Uchenna gives the Badgers a formidable post presence after putting up 14.5 points and 12.8 rebounds (second-most in the country) last season for Southern Illinois. She led the Missouri Valley Conference with 21 double-doubles and set a new single-season program record with 383 rebounds. The Nigerian native had success before landing stateside at Shih Hsin University in Taipei.

Gift Uchenna, F, Wisconsin (Southern Illinois)

Sofilkanich earned Patriot League Player of the Year honors as a sophomore last year after averaging 19.7 points, 8.4 rebounds and 2.3 blocks. She led the conference in points (569) and double-doubles (10) while earning a league-high five Player of the Week awards. She had 44 points in a win over Colgate that tied a program-record and tied for the eighth-most points scored by a women’s basketball player last season. She gives the Wolverines some much needed size in the post to go with their talented trio of returning starters (Mila Holloway, Olivia Olson and Syla Swords) who are all guards.

Here’s an early look at the top transfers IU will have to prepare for during the 2025-26 season (presented in alphabetical order):