- For just the second time in the history of the Big Ten Conference, nine women’s basketball teams were ranked in the Associated Press (AP) poll. The Big Ten is the only conference to have nine programs ranked in the AP poll since 1996 and first achieved the feat on Dec. 2, 2024. UCLA came in at No. 4, followed by No. 6 Michigan, No. 7 Maryland, No. 11 Iowa, No. 16 USC, No. 20 Washington, No. 21 Ohio State, No. 24 Nebraska and No. 25 Michigan State. Oregon and Illinois received votes.
- Final exams are on the horizon and the Big Ten has a full slate of non-conference games. This week’s schedule is highlighted by the Corn Cy-Hawk Series between No. 11/12 Iowa and No. 10 Iowa State. The Hawkeyes visit the Cyclones on Wednesday at 7 p.m. ET on ESPN. That same day, RV/NR Illinois travels to Missouri for a 7 p.m. ET tilt on SECN. No. 16/17 USC will be the third Big Ten program to challenge defending national champion No. 1 UConn when the teams meet in Los Angeles on Saturday for a 5:30 p.m. ET outing on FOX. Sunday will feature Penn State at No. 3 South Carolina (3:30 p.m. ET, ESPN) and No. 25/24 Michigan State at DePaul (5:30 p.m. ET, FS1).
- The Big Ten is second among all Division I conferences with 130 non-conference wins so far this season. The conference has three teams with unblemished records and owns an .866 win percentage, which ranks second behind the SEC (140-17, .892).
- The Big Ten currently leads all Division I conferences in field goal percentage (.469), assists (17.7 apg) and three-point field goal percentage (.345) while ranking second in scoring (79.4 ppg), free throw percentage (.726) and rebounds (40.3 rpg).
- 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. 17 USC, No. 21 Ohio State, No. 23 Washington and No. 24 Michigan State. Nebraska and Oregon garnered votes.
- UCLA’s Lauren Betts and Michigan’s Olivia Olson were tabbed as two of five Ann Meyers Drysdale National Players of the Week by the U.S. Basketball Writers Association (USBWA) on Tuesday. Betts opened Big Ten play with a 24-point, 14-rebound performance against RV Oregon to earn Big Ten Player of the Week recognition. Her points, rebounds and blocks (5) were also season highs. Olson had her second double-double of the season with 21 points and 11 rebounds against Central Michigan. She followed up with a season-high 26 points on 9-for-14 shooting with seven rebounds, five assists and two steals versus Purdue.
- Cearah Parchment averaged 15.5 points and 12.5 rebounds during Illinois’ 2-0 week to earn Big Ten Freshman of the Week laurels. She racked up 16 points, 12 rebounds, three assists and three steals in 21 minutes versus Bellarmine. Parchment registered a double-double (15 points, 13 rebounds) against Indiana to help the Illini pick up their first Big Ten-opening win since the 2016-17 season.
- Congratulations to head coach Lindsay Gottlieb, who earned her 100th win at the helm for USC in a 59-50 defeat of Washington. She is the fastest coach in program history to reach the milestone.
- With a 30-point showing in Maryland’s double-overtime win at Minnesota, Saylor Poffenbarger surpassed 1,000 career points.
- Michigan scored its second-most points against a Big Ten opponent in program history in its dominant 104-56 triumph over Purdue. The 48-point margin of victory is the largest for the Wolverines over a Big Ten team. The squad also set a program record with 33 made free throws, which tied for the fifth-most in a conference game in Big Ten history.
- Nebraska scored at least 80 points for a school-record ninth consecutive game by defeating Penn State, 101-83. The Huskers tallied 36 points in the fourth quarter, the most ever scored by a Nebraska team in a period since the inception of quarters in 2015.
- Katie Fiso turned in 23 points and a career-best 14 assists against Oregon State, the second-most assists in a game in Oregon history.
- Purdue recorded a 42-point win over Evansville, 91-49, for the largest margin of victory under head coach Katie Gearlds.
- 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.
PENALTIES, HOT PENN STATE GOALIE KEEP IRISH WINLESS IN BIG TEN IN 4-1 LOSS
By John Fineran Notre Dame’s hockey team wasn’t its own worst enemy Friday night, but the Irish were close. They just couldn’t stay out of the penalty box once again and then couldn’t solve No. 8 Penn State’s goaltender Josh Fleming. Fleming, a 6-foot-2 freshman from...