- Early December ushers in the first conference matchups of the 2025-26 campaign. The Big Ten season opens with three games on Saturday and six games on Sunday. Action tips at noon ET Saturday between NR/RV Indiana and Illinois on the Big Ten Network and the FOX Sports App.
- Women’s basketball is taking over the Big Ten Network on Sunday with five consecutive games, starting at noon ET with No. 6/8 Michigan hosting Purdue. The day will feature No. 23/24 Ohio State at Northwestern (2 p.m. ET), No. 7/6 Maryland at Minnesota (4 p.m. ET), No. 20 Michigan State at Wisconsin (6 p.m. ET) and No. 21/22 Washington at No. 16/18 USC (8 p.m. ET).
- The conference has two contests on FS1 this week. No. 12 Iowa travels to Rutgers for a 6 p.m. ET tilt on Saturday and No. 4 UCLA welcomes RV Oregon on Sunday at 3 p.m. ET.
- The first NET Rankings of the 2025-26 season were released by the NCAA on Monday. The NCAA Evaluation Tool (NET) is the primary sorting tool used by the NCAA Division I Women’s Basketball Committee for determining NCAA Tournament teams. The Big Ten leads all Division I conferences with 13 teams among the top 50 and nine in the top 25 of the NET rankings – No. 4 UCLA, No. 5 Michigan, No. 7 Michigan State, No. 10 Maryland, No. 11 Iowa, No. 15 Nebraska, No. 16 Oregon, No. 17 Minnesota, No. 25 Washington, No. 26 Ohio State, No. 32 USC, No. 38 Illinois and No. 46 Indiana.
- The Big Ten paces all Division I conferences with 122 non-conference wins so far this season, followed by the SEC (117), Big 12 (104) and ACC (98). The conference has six teams with unblemished records and owns an .865 win percentage, which ranks second behind the SEC (117-13, .900).
- The Big Ten currently leads all Division I conferences in field goal percentage (.475), assists (17.7 apg) and three-point field goal percentage (.351) while ranking second in scoring (79.8 ppg) and free throw percentage (.727).
- Michigan State leads the nation in assist/turnover ratio (2.58) and assists per game (24.5) while coming in second in scoring offense (96.4) and field goal percentage (.539).
- The Big Ten Conference had eight programs featured in this week’s Associated Press (AP) Top 25 poll. UCLA came in at No. 4, followed by No. 6 Michigan, No. 7 Maryland, No. 12 Iowa, No. 16 USC, No. 20 Michigan State, No. 21 Washington and No. 23 Ohio State. Nebraska and Oregon received votes.
- The same eight programs made an appearance in the Women’s Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA)/USA Today Top 25 poll – No. 4 UCLA, No. 6 Maryland, No. 8 Michigan, No. 12 Iowa, No. 18 USC, No. 20 Michigan State, No. 22 Washington and No. 24 Ohio State. Nebraska and Oregon garnered votes.
- UCLA’s Gabriela Jaquez was selected as one of five Ann Meyers Drysdale National Players of the Week by the U.S. Basketball Writers Association (USBWA) on Tuesday. Jaquez tallied 23 points, five rebounds and two assists against Duke and delivered a 29-point performance, including a career-high five three-pointers, against No. 14 Tennessee. She shot 71.4 percent from the floor (10-for-14) and 83.3 percent from behind the arc (5-for-6) with three rebounds, three assists and two steals versus the Lady Vols. Jaquez was named Big Ten Player of the Week on Monday for her efforts.
- USC’s Jazzy Davidson earned her second Big Ten Freshman of the Week laurel on Monday. She notched her first career double-double with 20 points and a career-high 16 rebounds against Tennessee Tech. Her 16 boards were the most recorded by a Trojan freshman since Rayah Marshall on Dec. 18, 2021. Davidson dropped 18 points to go along with five assists, four rebounds and three blocks against Pepperdine.
- Cearah Parchment had 17 points and 10 steals against Le Moyne. Her 10 steals tied Illinois’ single-game record and was just the second points-steals double-double in program history, both of which were last achieved by Shavonna Hunter on Dec. 18, 1999. The 72-point margin of victory was the third largest in Illinois history and largest under head coach Shauna Green. Illinois also held Le Moyne to single-digit points in all four quarters, the first time in program history since quarters were introduced in 2015.
- It was a day full of firsts for the Buckeyes, who set program records in points (130), assists (37), field goals made (52) and largest margin of victory in history (+98) against Niagara. Ohio State’s 42 points in the third quarter were the most in program history and tied for the second-most points scored in a quarter in Big Ten history. The Buckeyes matched other Big Ten records, including points in a game (130 – tied for second), assists (37 – tied for first) and field goals made (52 – tied for second).
- The 2025-26 season will be the final ride for storied Northwestern head coach Joe McKeown, who announced on March 24 that he intends to retire at the conclusion of season. McKeown is the longest-tenured and winningest head women’s basketball coach in Northwestern history. This is his 18th season in Evanston and his 40th season overall as a head coach.
- Each Big Ten institution will play an 18-game conference schedule for the seventh time in eight seasons. The conference season tips off on Saturday, Dec. 6, with three games, while the remaining 12 teams open conference action on Sunday, Dec. 7. The league slate pauses for the holidays and resumes on Sunday, Dec. 28 with a four-game lineup. During the conference season, each program will play one school both home and away, while facing 16 teams once. Of the single-play opponents, institutions will face eight at home and eight on the road.
- The 2026 Allstate Big Ten Women’s Basketball Tournament is set for March 4-8 at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, marking the 27th time the tournament will be played in Circle City. Fifteen teams will qualify for the tournament, with three first-round games slated for Wednesday, March 4 on Peacock. The second-round, quarterfinal and semifinal contests on Thursday, Friday and Saturday will be carried on the Big Ten Network. CBS will broadcast the championship game for the third year in a row on Sunday.
Dave Troyer Memorial Scholarship Announced
MISHAWAKA, Ind. – This Saturday, January 17, a special presentation is planned to take place during halftime of the men's basketball game where the No. 3 Bethel Pilots take on No. 11 Indiana Wesleyan University in Gates Gymnasium on Bethel's campus. The game will...