Michigan basketball transfer stays in Big Ten

Taylor Williams is staying in the Big Ten. The graduate transfer forward who played the past season at Michigan is transferring to Northwestern, she announced on Thursday.

Williams, a 6-foot-2 forward from Dakota High School in Macomb, started her college career at Western Michigan. She missed her first season due to injury and played the next three; she has one more season of eligibility due to the NCAA’s COVID-19 waiver.

At Michigan, she appeared in 24 games with six starts, averaging 11.5 minutes, 4.3 points, and 3.3 rebounds per game. She did not appear in a game after Feb. 10, missing Michigan’s final eight games, including Michigan’s lone game against Northwestern and a first-round NCAA Tournament loss. A program spokesperson said Williams was unavailable for a majority of those games.

Northwestern finished 13th out of 14 Big Ten teams last season with a 4-14 league record. The Wildcats finished 9-21 overall for the second straight year.

Michigan has lost six players to the transfer portal this offseason: Williams, Laila Phelia (who’s headed to Texas), Chyra Evans (Utah), Taylor Woodson (Minnesota), Elise Stuck (Ball State), and Cameron Williams, who has yet to announce her destination.