Michigan State women's basketball has gained another piece for its 2026 roster.
Standing at 6-foot-4, forward Alie Bisballe is heading back to the state she grew up in. Hailing from Lake City, Michigan — located in the northern lower peninsula near Houghton Lake — the strong forward spent the last two seasons with the Wisconsin Badgers. Now, she has officially transferred to East Lansing to suit up for the green and white.
During her two seasons with Wisconsin, Bisballe appeared in 18 games in each year, though she did not make a start. As a freshman, she averaged 3.9 minutes per game, followed by 3.3 minutes per game as a sophomore. Her scoring production saw a slight dip as well, going from 1.5 points per game in her freshman campaign to 1.0 as a sophomore.
However, while her offensive numbers decreased, Bisballe began to carve out a role defensively. She showed noticeable improvement on that end of the floor, increasing her blocks per game from 0.1 (1 total) to 0.2 (3 total), while also doubling her rebounding output. Her rebounds per game rose from 0.4 (7 total) to 0.8 (14 total), with her defensive rebounds seeing the biggest jump — going from 0.3 per game (6 total) to 0.7 per game (12 total).
Additionally, her overall discipline and awareness improved. Her personal fouls decreased, while her assist numbers saw a slight increase, signaling growth in both decision-making and court vision.
One of the more intriguing ways to evaluate Bisballe's potential comes through her per-40-minute averages. If projected across a full game workload, she would average 9.5 rebounds and 12.2 points per game. While that doesn't suggest she'll be playing 40 minutes a night at Michigan State, it does highlight the kind of impact she could have with increased opportunity.
Perhaps the most telling development came in her sophomore season, where her defensive rebounding percentage surged from 9.9% to an impressive 23.5%. That kind of growth is something the Spartans will likely lean on when she's on the floor, especially as they look to shore up their presence in the paint.
You can begin to see the game slowing down for Bisballe — a key sign for a developing post player. She now joins a Michigan State team that was hit hard by both the transfer portal and graduation, particularly at the forward position. Players like VanSlooten, now competing in the WNBA, and Ines Sotelo, who entered the portal and committed to Stanford, leave behind opportunities for new contributors to step in.
Head coach Robyn Fralick and the Lady Spartans have now added their fourth transfer with Bisballe's commitment. Joining her in East Lansing are Anna Wypych from Butler, Tabitha Betson from Colorado, and Carter McCray from West Virginia — a group that signals a clear emphasis on reloading through the portal.
The Spartans appear to be gearing up for one of their most exciting seasons in recent memory.
At the center of it all is Kennedy Blair, who looks ready to take the leap into a true superstar role. Her explosiveness and production demand attention from nearly every opposing defender, often collapsing defenses and creating openings elsewhere on the floor. That kind of gravity can open up opportunities down low — the exact area where players like Bisballe can thrive.
VanSlooten was a major beneficiary of Blair's presence, using both her own skill set and the opportunities created around her to elevate her game to a WNBA level. It's not far-fetched to think that Michigan State's next wave of forwards could follow a similar path — and Bisballe could very well be part of that equation.
Beyond Blair, there's a carefully constructed roster taking shape under Fralick. With multiple Miss Michigan winners, promising incoming freshmen, and a wave of experienced transfers ready to make an immediate impact, the foundation is being laid for something significant.
With the addition of Alie Bisballe and the rest of this new-look roster, there's a growing sense that something special is building in East Lansing — a team defined by pride, grit, and hunger, ready to take the next step.
