Maryland Tops Big Ten Women’s Basketball Preseason Rankings
Iowa’s Clark and Michigan’s Hillmon share Big Ten Preseason Player of the Year honors
ROSEMONT, Ill. – The University of Maryland was chosen as the 2021-22 preseason Big Ten women’s basketball favorite by both the conference’s 14 head coaches and a select media panel, the conference office announced Tuesday. Iowa sophomore guard Caitlin Clark and Michigan senior forward Naz Hillmon shared 2021-22 Big Ten Preseason Player of the Year honors, with Clark chosen by the coaches and Hillmon selected by the media.
Both the Big Ten coaches and media agreed on the top five schools in their respective preseason polls — Maryland, Indiana, Iowa, Michigan and Ohio State. Those same five programs were ranked in the top 20 of the preseason Associated Press poll released Oct. 19 — No. 4 Maryland, No. 8 Indiana, No. 9 Iowa, No. 11 Michigan and No. 17 Ohio State — marking the first time in conference history the Big Ten had four top-15 teams and five top-20 teams in the preseason AP poll. It’s also the first time the Big Ten has had three top-10 teams in any AP poll since Feb. 9, 2004, and the first time the conference has had five top-20 teams in any AP poll since the final 2013-14 survey.
Along with the Player of the Year selections, Clark and Hillmon both were unanimously voted to the coaches and media Preseason All-Big Ten teams, with Maryland junior guard Ashley Owusu also earning unanimous preseason honors from the coaches.
Both teams featured the same 10 Big Ten standouts, with the following seven joining the trio of Clark, Hillmon and Owusu: Indiana’s Grace Berger and Mackenzie Holmes, Iowa’s Monika Czinano, Maryland’s Diamond Miller, Michigan’s Leigha Brown, Michigan State’s Nia Clouden and Northwestern’s Veronica Burton.
All 10 of Tuesday’s Preseason All-Big Ten Team members were all-conference honorees last season, including nine first-team selections, and six who went on to be named All-Americans (Berger, Holmes, Clark, Miller, Owusu and Hillmon). Three of the Big Ten’s four individual award recipients from last year are also among Tuesday’s Preseason All-Big Team, in Hillmon (Player of the Year), Clark (Freshman of the Year) and Burton (Defensive Player of the Year).
Hailing from West Des Moines, Iowa, Clark is coming off a record-setting rookie season that culminated with her selection as Big Ten Freshman of the Year, National Co-Freshman of the Year and the recipient of the Dawn Staley Award, given to the nation’s top guard. She was also a consensus first-team All-America honoree and captured unanimous first-team all-conference accolades, in addition to setting a Big Ten record by being named conference Freshman of the Week 12 times. Last season, Clark led the nation in scoring (26.6 ppg.), while ranking second in assists (7.1 apg.) and three-pointers per game (3.87), pacing the Big Ten in all three categories.
A native of Cleveland, Ohio, Hillmon was named Preseason Player of the Year for the second consecutive season, having shared that honor on the coaches’ ballot last year. Hillmon is also the reigning Big Ten Player of the Year and went on to earn consensus first-team All-America honors along with being a finalist for the Women’s Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA) Wade Trophy given to the nation’s top player. She is a three-time first-team All-Big Ten honoree who previously had been chosen as the 2019 Big Ten Co-Freshman and Sixth Player of the Year. Last year, she led the conference in rebounding (11.4 rpg.) and double-doubles (15; good for 11th in the nation), while placing second in scoring (23.9 ppg.) and field-goal percentage (.623).
Three-time defending Big Ten champion and two-time reigning conference tournament champion Maryland returns virtually its entire roster, including all five starters (led by All-Americans Owusu and Miller), five All-Big Ten selections and their top eight scorers from last year’s team that went 26-3 (17-1 in the Big Ten) and advanced to the NCAA Sweet Sixteen. The Terrapins also became the first Big Ten team to lead the nation in scoring (school-record 90.8 ppg.) and only the third program in the past 25 years to finish a season averaging more than 90 points per game (the others being Oregon in 2013-14 at 93.2 ppg., and UConn in 1998-99 at 91.2 ppg.).
Indiana was the No. 2 choice in the preseason poll according to both the coaches and media. The Hoosiers are coming off a historic 2020-21 season that saw them advance to the NCAA Elite Eight for the first time since 1983 while going 21-6 to post a sixth consecutive 20-win season. Indiana also has all five starters returning this year, paced by honorable mention All-Americans and first-team all-conference honorees Berger and Holmes. Building off last year’s success, the Hoosiers debuted at No. 8 in last week’s preseason AP poll, the highest ranking in school history.
Iowa holds down the No. 3 ranking in the preseason Big Ten balloting. Paced by Clark and first-team all-conference post Czinano, the Hawkeyes ranked second in the nation in scoring last year (86.1 ppg.) and first in both field-goal percentage (.513) and three-point percentage (.408). Iowa advanced to the Big Ten Tournament championship game and ultimately reached the NCAA Sweet Sixteen for the second time in three seasons. The Hawkeyes return all five starters and their No. 9 AP poll ranking is the program’s highest preseason ranking in 25 years (No. 6 in 1996-97).
Michigan enjoyed its own historic success in 2020-21, reaching the NCAA Sweet Sixteen for the first time in program history as part of a Big Ten-record four teams to advance that far in last year’s NCAA Tournament. The Wolverines went 16-6 a season ago led by their top two scorers in Hillmon and Brown, who earned second-team all-conference honors. Michigan’s No. 11 preseason AP poll ranking ties the highest poll position in program history that was achieved twice last season.
Rounding out the Big Ten’s preseason top five is Ohio State. The Buckeyes have 10 returning letterwinners from last year’s 13-7 squad, including all-conference guards Jacy Sheldon and Madison Greene. They are supplemented this season by the addition of senior guard Taylor Mikesell, who began her career at Maryland and shared Big Ten Co-Freshman of the Year honors with Hillmon in 2018-19, before most recently helping Oregon to the NCAA Sweet Sixteen last year. After being ranked each week and rising as high as No. 11 last season, OSU will open this year tied for No. 17 in the preseason AP poll.
The 2021-22 Preseason All-Big Ten Teams and rankings are as follows:
2021-22 COACHES BIG TEN PRESEASON RANKINGS
1. Maryland
2. Indiana
3. Iowa
4. Michigan
5. Ohio State
2021-22 COACHES PRESEASON ALL-BIG TEN TEAM
Grace Berger, Sr., G, Indiana
Mackenzie Holmes, Jr., F, Indiana
CAITLIN CLARK, So., G, Iowa
Monika Czinano, Sr., F/C, Iowa
Diamond Miller, Jr., G, Maryland
ASHLEY OWUSU, Jr., G, Maryland
Leigha Brown, Sr., G, Michigan
NAZ HILLMON, Sr., F, Michigan
Nia Clouden, Sr., G, Michigan State
Veronica Burton, Sr., G, Northwestern
2021-22 COACHES BIG TEN PRESEASON PLAYER OF THE YEAR
Caitlin Clark, So., G, Iowa
2021-22 MEDIA BIG TEN PRESEASON RANKINGS
1. Maryland
2. Indiana
3. Iowa
4. Michigan
5. Ohio State
2021-22 MEDIA PRESEASON ALL-BIG TEN TEAM
Grace Berger, Sr., G, Indiana
Mackenzie Holmes, Jr., F, Indiana
CAITLIN CLARK, So., G, Iowa
Monika Czinano, Sr., F/C, Iowa
Diamond Miller, Jr., G, Maryland
Ashley Owusu, Jr., G, Maryland
Leigha Brown, Sr., G, Michigan
NAZ HILLMON, Sr., F, Michigan
Nia Clouden, Sr., G, Michigan State
Veronica Burton, Sr., G, Northwestern
2021-22 MEDIA BIG TEN PRESEASON PLAYER OF THE YEAR
Naz Hillmon, Sr., F, Michigan
Unanimous selections listed in ALL CAPS
