Big Ten women’s preview

It is nothing short of amazing to me that Big Ten women have won just one NCAA basketball title—that being by Purdue in 1999. It is true that USC won the title in 1982 and 1983, and Maryland in 2006. USC and Maryland are now Big Ten members, but the fact is that they were not members of the Big Ten when they won their titles.

The UCLA Bruins this year will contend for the national title as they did a year ago, making it to the Final Four before getting the doors blown off by UConn in an 85-51 embarrassment. South Carolina and Connecticut are rated ahead of UCLA by most rankings this year, and so an NCAA title is not what you could call likely. But, it’s possible.

Maryland, USC and Michigan figure to contend for the Big Ten title—either regular season, or tournament. I guess I’d say that Washington and Illinois are the dark-horses. Everybody else, including the Gophers, not so much.

The big question mark hanging over the season is whether USC’s Juju Watkins will be able to get back from her ACL tear for the post-season. That is the big wild card to watch in 2025-2026. This also is unlikely, but possible. Watch also UCLA’s 6-7 post Lauren Betts, one of the top 2 or 3 contenders for player of the year honors, and watch for the impact of the big-time transfers including:

• Gianna Kneepkens of Duluth, MN (from Utah to UCLA)
• Yarden Garzon (from Indiana to Maryland)
• Kara Dunn and Londynn Jones (both to USC, from Georgia Tech and UCLA, respectively)
• Kiyomi McMiller (from Rutgers to Penn State)

The top freshmen are Jazzy Davidson, USC: Siena Betts, UCLA; Addie Deal, Iowa; Brynn McGaughey, Washington; and Destiny Jackson, Illinois.

1. UCLA Bruins (34-3, #1 last year). The almost unanimous favorite to win the Big Ten title is UCLA. The Bruins finished 2^nd in the Big Ten last year (regular season), but turned the tables on USC 72-67 in the tournament final, then went to the Final Four before losing to UConn 85-51. Having watched that game, it is still hard to believe the Bruins could have been beaten so badly, even by the eventual national champion Huskies. You can bet that every Big Ten team is watching the tape of that game over and over and over again. Whether they can discern the key to beating the Bruins is one thing. Whether they can execute it is another.

UCLA returns 6-7 senior post Lauren Betts, the early fave for national PoY honors, who averaged 20 ppg, 9 rebounds and 3 assists last year while shooting 65 percent. They also return four rotation players—point guard Kiki Rice, shooting guard Gabriela Jaquez, and forwards Angela Dugalic and Timea Gardiner, who give the Bruins additional size at 6-4 and 6-3. Then there are transfers Gianna Kneepkens from Utah (19 ppg, 58 percent) and Charlisse Leger-Walker from Washington State (13 ppg, 6 rebounds, 5 assists), both of whom might start ahead of Dugalic and Gardiner. And, they’ve also got 6-4 freshman Siena Betts, Lauren’s sister and the #2 recruit nationally who averaged 22 ppg, 16 rebounds, 5 assists, 2 steals and 3 blocks in her junior year in high school.

The talent is absolutely awesome. I don’t know how coach Cori Close is going to find minutes for all of her players. I can’t quite pick the Bruins (or anybody) to go unbeaten, so I’ll have to pick them to go 17-1 in the conference.

2. Maryland Terrapins (25-8, #4). Maryland finished in a tie for 3^rd in the regular season last year; they were upset by Michigan in the Big Ten tournament quarter-finals; but bounced back to win 2 NCAA tournament games, 3^rd best in the Big Ten after just UCLA and USC. They return 4 rotation players representing 42 ppg, led by 6-0 senior guard Kaylene Smikle and her 18 ppg and 44 percent shooting. Transfers Yarden Garzon from Indiana (14 ppg) and Oluchi Okananwa from Duke (10 ppg) will contribute, and perhaps freshman guard Rainey Welson from Hortonville, WI. There’s adequate depth and no question that the quality of the talent is good enough, except perhaps when the Terrapins take the court against UCLA.

I see Maryland at 14-4.

3. Southern California Trojans (31-4, #2). The Trojans have of course almost certainly lost superstar Juju Watkins, regarded as a shoo-in for national POY, to a torn ACL. There’s a chance she could come back for the post-season, but it is not likely, and it wouldn’t affect their regular season standing anyway. Even so, the Trojans drop just to #3 in this Big Ten preview. Only 6-1 sophomore guard Kennedy Smith returns among the contributors from last year, but transfer guards Kara Dunn and Londynn Jones, from Georgia Tech and UCLA, respectively, make the USC guards as good as anybody’s. Then, add 6-1 freshman forward Jazzy Davidson, whose line as a senior in high school was 29 ppg, 9 rebounds, 3 assists, 3 steals and 2 blocks, and who has already made at least one list of just ten candidates for national PoY.

The Trojans also have a favorable schedule, so I have them at 14-4 in the Big Ten regular season.

4. Michigan Wolverines (11-7, #5). Michigan had a terrific freshman class last year, and they’ve kept Mila Holloway, Olivia Olson and Syla Swords together with their combined 42 ppg, 14 rebounds, 9 assists and 44 percent shooting. Now they’re adding guard Mackenzie Mathurin, who is rated as the Big Ten’s #6 freshman.

I see Michigan finishing at 13-5.

 5. Washington Huskies (19-14, 12^th). Washington figures to improve, and to do it the old-fashioned way—by returning their top 7 players from last year, and avoiding any portal losses. The big 3 are Elle Ladine (5-11 junior guard, 17 ppg), Sayviah Sellers (5-7 soph guard, 15 ppg, 4 assists) and Delayah Daniels (6-4 senior forward, 13 ppg, 7 rebounds), and they’ve got help including a trio of 6-3 forwards. One of those is Brynn McGaughey, the first 5-star recruit ever to come to UW and the 3^rd-rated freshman in the Big Ten.

The Huskies are another team with a favorable schedule, so I see them at 12-6.

6. Illinois Fighting Illini (22-10, #8 tie). Illinois under coach Shauna Green just keeps getting better, though I’ve seen them everywhere from 6^th through 10^th for this coming season. They lose their top 4 scorers from last year, all to graduation, but return the next 3—Gretchen Dolan, Jasmine Brown-Haggar and Berry Wallace, and their 27 ppg. Guard transfers Aaliyah Guyton from Iowa, and Maddie Webber from Villanova will contribute. And, then there’s the Big Ten’s top freshman recruiting class. Right out of the gate, guards Destiny Jackson from Chicago, and Erica Finney from Australia, and 6-3 forward Cearah Parchmant from Canada are all expected to contribute. Jackson, the #4-rated freshman in the conference, may in fact be their best player.

The Illini catch a great schedule so I’ll say that the Illini go 12-6.

7. Minnesota Gophers (25-11, #13). The Gophers figure to move up, at least if last year’s injured, Mara Braun and Taylor Woodson, return to full strength. If so, the Gophers will have a solid 8-woman rotation of experienced contributors, plus the #11 freshman in the Big Ten, Makena Christian, and transfer Brylee Glenn, who scored 8 ppg last year at Kansas State.

Much depends on point guard Amaya Battle, a wonderfully gifted player who scored 13 ppg with 5 rebounds and 4 assists last year. She had some terrific shooting streaks and some that were not so good, resulting in an overall 41 shooting percentage. The Gophers overall need to shoot the ball a little better to get to 7^th place, and that largely will be determined by Battle and Braun, who shot 38 percent. Grace Grocholski and Mallory Heyer are also effective but streaky outside shooters. Both shot 43 percent.

6-5 Sophie Hart and the 6-0 Woodson are solid inside, with 6-0 Nia Holloway in reserve. It will be a plus if the Bershers sisters are ready to contribute because they add a little bit of additional size. 6-2 senior Tracy, a transfer from UAB, is a stretch 4/5 in the Annika Stewart mold, meaning she has shot a lot of threes in her days. 6-3 freshman Zoe is more of a classic inside post.

And I haven’t even mentioned Tori McKinney, a 6-1 guard who can play anywhere, guard anybody and do almost anything. I won’t be surprised if we all wake up one morning and she is the Gophers best all-around player.

The Gophers have a lot of options if everybody is healthy. Still, it’s going to come down to shooting the ball a little better, a little more consistently, avoiding dry spells. And, it’s also true that their defense is sometimes overmatched. They’re not tall, and yet it’s not tall teams that expose the Gopher defense, it’s teams that move the ball and move without the ball where the Gophers sometimes just don’t chase very well.

I’m picking the Gophers to go 10-8 in the Big Ten regular season. Click below for more detail on these Gophers.

The Fall and Rise of Gopher Women’s Basketball

8. Ohio State Buckeyes (26-7, #3). This feels very strange, Ohio State all the way down in 8^th place? Especially since they return Jaloni Cambridge, Chance Gray, and 3 other contributors from such a great team of a year ago, and because Kevin McGuff has pretty much proven himself to be one of the best coaches in the Big Ten. But they lose their #1, #4 and #5 scorers, including #1 Cotie McMahon who transferred to Mississippi. For all intents and purposes, they’ve added only Ty’ana Todd from Boston College (12 ppg). Still, Cambridge is a wonderful player with 15 ppg, 4 rebounds and 4 assists, so this feels pretty strange.

But the Buckeyes also have a fairly tough road schedule, so I see them finishing 10-8.

9. Michigan State Spartans (22-10, #8 tie). The Spartans return 5 players led by 6-3 forward Grace Vanslooten and 5-10 guard Theryn Hallock. But last year’s Spartans finished 5-7 after a 17-3 start. So one wonders if they’ve got some new talent that might change the tone a little bit. If so, they would have to be the freshmen guards Jordan Ode and Amy Terrian, who scored 43 ppg between them last year. But of course that was in high school.

I’ve got Michigan State at 10-8.

10. Iowa Hawkeyes (23-11, #6 tie). Iowa loses 4 of last year’s top ten players, including Aaliyah Guyton by transfer to Indiana. Still, they return a lot of people including 6-4 and 6-2 Ava Heinden and Hannah Stuelke, and that passes for decent size at least in the Midwest. But, the big news might be the freshmen Addie (Big) Deal, a 6-foot combo guard and rated #2 among Big Ten freshmen, and 6-5 Layla Hays from Alaska. Stuelke is picked as a big breakout player by some, but I’d guess that Iowa’s fortunes ride to some degree on Deal being the real deal.

Their schedule is tough enough, and I see them at 10-8.

11. Nebraska Cornhuskers (21-12, #8 tie). Nebraska will be relying primarily on returning sophomores Natalie Potts (6-2 forward 14 ppg, 7 rebounds) and Britt Prince (5-11 guard 13 ppg, 4 rebounds, 4 assists), but they have 6—count ‘em, 6—other returnees worth a total of 73 ppg, plus 3 name transfers, that is, from name schools like Maryland and Northwestern.

I see Nebraska squeaking out an 9-9 record.

12. Oregon Ducks (20-12, #8 tie). Women seem to like Oregon. The Ducks are returning 8 players from a year ago. They’ve all stayed, but not one of them scored in double figures. The best of them would seem to be Elisa Mevius, who scored 7 ppg last year with 3 rebounds, 3 assists and 2 steals. Add to that transfer Astera Tuhina from Washington State (8 ppg) and you’ve got even more depth. But, who they gonna go to? Well, maybe freshman Janiyah Williams, rated the #7 freshman in the Big Ten. She may very well be the best Duck by the end of her freshman year.

I see Oregon at 8-10.

13. Indiana Hoosiers (20-13, #8 tie). The Hoosiers return only 5-7 senior guard Shay Ciezki, who scored 12 ppg last year on 46 percent shooting. They’ll be relying on transfers Edessa Noyen, a 6-3 junior forward from Virginia, where she scored 6 ppg on 40 percent shooting, and guard Phoenix Stotjin from the Netherlands and Arkansas, where she scored 7 ppg. Freshmen Maya Makalusdy (6-3 forward) and Naevaeh Caffey (5-10 guard) are also going to be needed. It’s rebuilding time, but coach Teri Moren is one of the Big Ten’s best.

Still, Indiana will end up about 7-11.

14. Purdue Boilermakers (10-19, #16 tie). Purdue is slipping, to 15^th place in the Big Ten last year. We have them moving back up to 14^th, but if they indeed go 5-13, nobody will suggest they’re not slipping. They’ve got just 3 returnees who scored 17 ppg among them. There are 5 transfers, the best of whom is probably Kiki Smith, a 5-7 junior guard from Arkansas, where she scored 14 ppg. They’ve also got one highly-regarded freshman, 6-7 Avery Gordon, but a more highly-rated freshman, Keona Douwstra from the Netherlands, has disappeared recently from the Purdue roster for reasons that are unknown. There’s plenty of depth, but do they have a go-to caliber player? Only time will tell.

I see Purdue at 5-13.

15. Penn State Nittany Lions (16-16, #13). Penn State got a big lift with the transfer of 5-8 sophomore guard and her 19 ppg from Rutgers. Then 6-6 junior post Grace Merkle decided not to transfer to Maryland. Junior guard Moriah Murray also returns, and suddenly a near disaster gave way to some potential for 2026.

Still, I see Penn State at 5-13.

16. Wisconsin Badgers (13-17, #14.) The Badgers are rebuilding after losing center Serah Williams to a transfer—to UConn, no less—and with new coach Robin Pingeton in charge. Pingeton is no spring chicken, having been head coach at Missouri for 15 years. She scoured the portal and came up with 6 transfers who scored a total of 60 ppg at places like Illinois, N.C. State, Southern Illinois, Missouri State, Howard and Stony Brook. Gift Okeke, a 6-3 senior forward from Ethiopia and Southern Illinois, may be the best of the group. But returning point guard Ronnie Porter, just 5-foot-one, is and will be the leader of this team.

Wisconsin could surprise, but a surprise would be that they win any more than 3 games. My pick is 3-15.

17. Northwestern Wildcats (9-18, #16 tie). The Wildcats return 3 contributors—the 6-4 senior forward Grace Sullivan (10 ppg, 51 percent); 5-9 senior point guard Caroline Lau (5 ppg, 5 rebounds, 6 assists, 28 percent shooting); and Casey Harter, a 5-11 junior shooting guard.

Northwestern won just 2 conference games last year and seems unlikely to improve on that very much in 2025-2026. So I’ll say that Northwestern goes 2-16.

18. Rutgers Scarlet Knights (13-20, #16). Rutgers has just 3 returnees from last year, who scored just 7 points among them. Rutgers is likely to win zero or perhaps one game. I guess I’ll say 1-17.

All-Conference

 Rating the Point Guards

1. Kiki Rice, UCLA, 5-11, senior, 13 ppg-3 reb-5 ast, 48 percent
2. Jaloni Cambridge, Ohio State, 5-7, soph, 15 ppg-4 reb-5 ast, 43 percent
3. Kara Dunn, USC, 5-11, senior, 15 ppg-6 reb, 49
4. Sayviah Sellers, Washington, 5-7, soph, 15 ppg-3 reb-4 ast, 47
5. Syla Swords, Michigan, 6-0, soph, 10 ppg-3 reb-5 ast, 40
6. Amaya Battle, Minnesota, 5-11, senior, 13 ppg-5 reb-4 ast, 41
7. Theryn Hallock, Michigan State, 5-10, senior, 13 ppg-2 reb-3 ast, 40
8. Addie Deal, Iowa, 6-0, freshman
9. Destiny Jackson, Illinois, 5-6, freshman
10. Ronnie Porter, Wisconsin, 5-1, senior, 9 ppg-4 reb-5 ast, 38
11. Kiki Smith, Purdue, 5-7, junior, 14 ppg-3 reb-2 ast-2 stl (Arkansas)
12. Shay Czieski, Indiana, 5-7, senior, 12 ppg-2 reb-3 ast
13. Moriah Murray, Penn State, 5-8, junior, 10 ppg-2 reb-3 ast
14. Bri McDaniel, Maryland, 5-10, senior, 11 ppg-2 reb, 51
15. Ellen Mevius, Oregon, 5-10, senior, 7 ppg-3 reb-3 ast-2 stl, 44
16. Logan Nissley, Nebraska, 6-0, junior, 7 ppg-3 reb-3 ast, 36
17. Kaylah Ivey 5-8, senior (Boston College) or Lauryn Swann 5-7, soph (Arizona), Rutgers
18. Caroline Lau, Northwestern, 5-9, senior, 5 ppg-5 reb-6 ast, 28