The Portal Works, B1G Edition
B1G transfers making a mark
In the era of NIL and players hitting the transfer portal every day, many student-athletes are betting on themselves every day in hopes of landing at the perfect school. As we know the portal isn’t always greener on the other side but for these three players, they’ve found their new home. Graduate transfer guard Sarah Te-Biasu, senior forward Kiki Iriafen, and senior guard Lucy Olsen have all had big impacts on their new team’s success this season. As we head into the NCAA Tournament, they will need to continue to show up and show out for their squads to make a deep run. Here’s a closer look at their respective resumes.
Sarah Te-Biasu
Te-Biasu went from winning A-10 POY honors a season ago to now playing a pivotal role for the Maryland Terrapins. Standing at just 5”5 the senior guard is showing that she can play with the big dogs at the B1G level. Te-Biasu is averaging 9 PPG and following the loss of Bri McDaniel earlier this season, has found herself with a bigger role for the Terps. In her last 5 games, Te-Biasu is averaging 39 MPG, upped her scoring to 16 PPG, and shooting 52% from deep.
In four years at VCU, Te-Biasu appeared in 107 career games, averaging 13 PPG, 3 RPG and 2 APG. In 2023 she was named to the All-Atlantic 10 Third Team and in her senior year she averaged a career high 15.6 PPG, earning All-Atlantic 10 First Team in addition to the POY award. Since joining the Terps, Te-Biasu has received high praise from Head Coach Brenda Freese and fellow players.
“She's very important having the ball in her hands and being able to put us in great positions to score,” Bri McDaniel said. “Even getting herself in easy positions to score and being a pesky defender. Just being there, she does a lot for this team. She's just a great all-around player that we needed for a long time, and now that we have her, we just utilize her.”
Te-Biasu and the Terps will look to go out with a bang in the NCAA Tournament after falling in their first game of the B1G Tournament vs Michigan.
Kiki Iriafen
½ of the dynamic duo at Southern Cal, senior Kiki Iriafen has been a force playing alongside sophomore star Juju Watkins. Iriafen was the highest rated transfer to hit the portal after last season and with a no contact option she already knew where she wanted to land. As we soon found out, the former Stanford Cardinal would go on to choose USC. Since hitting the ground, Iriafren has carried over her dominance from Stanford to SC. She is averaging 18 points per game (fourth best in the B1G) and 8 RPG (seventh best in the B1G) and is projected to go in the first round in this year's upcoming WNBA draft.
There have been several games throughout the season where Iriafen hasn’t been featured for significant stretches of a game as SC opts to shoot 3s and rely heavily on Watkins. Yes, Watkins is the best player on the team and should definitely win NPOY this season, but when you have talented players alongside you in Iriafen and freshman Kennedy Smith, the shots have to be more balanced. If Watkins and USC are able to share the ball and have a balanced attack, the Trojans are poised for a deep run. In addition, for USC to compete for a National Championship this season, Iriafen will have to be a low post force. Her ability to knock down mid-range jumpers and space the floor for the Trojans will be big against top teams like UCLA, University of South Carolina, Notre Dame, and UConn.
Lucy Olsen
Senior transfer, Lucy Olsen was deemed by many fans as the Caitlin Clark replacement. After averaging 23 PPG a year ago at Villanova, the senior was ready to win more games and the possibility of competing for a B1G and National Championship. Although neither one of those lofty goals look to be in the Hawkeyes future this season, Olsen is still showing her ability to win big games and lead this Iowa team. Olsen is no CC, but she is still a bucket and big shot maker in her own right, averaging 18 PPG and shooting 36% from deep both rank top five in the B1G.
Olsen is the head of the snake for Iowa and although they don’t score nearly as much as they did during the CC era, Iowa is getting it done on the defensive end under Head Coach Jan Jensen. The Hawkeyes are holding teams to 65 PPG, and in five of their 10 losses this season have been one possession games. Iowa should be comfortably in the NCAA Tournament, as the B1G is slated to have the most teams in the Big Dance. Currently listed as a 6th seed, the Hawkeyes will have a tough road if they want to make a run in the NCAA Tournament. IF one person can put on a show to do that, it’s Olsen so don’t sleep on Iowa.
Conclusion
As we’ve seen in the last few years, the transfer portal is not always good for student-athletes, but these are just three transfers who’ve found success at their new homes. We’ve seen a number of transfers succeed this year and there will be even more next season who find new homes. With the ever-changing landscape of college athletics, the portal isn’t going anywhere, and many student-athletes will look to land in better situations whether that’s playing time, NIL, an opportunity to win and compete for championships. With the portal opening for all student-athletes in the women’s basketball game on March 25, look for some big names to make moves in hopes that the portal will work for them.
