UCLA won the Big Ten title and the national championship, and the Bruins lost their six leading scorers. Michigan, which reached the Elite Eight, returns 10 players, including Olivia Olson and Syla Swords. JuJu Watkins is back at USC, Jaloni Cambridge is back at Ohio State, and Ava Heiden is back at Iowa. Penn State, Northwestern, and Rutgers all have new head coaches. Purdue has 11 newcomers and Indiana and Penn State have 10 apiece this season.
The Big Picture
Twelve of the Big Ten’s 18 teams reached the NCAA Tournament. UCLA went 18-0 in the league and won it all, Michigan and Iowa tied for second at 15-3, and Ohio State and Minnesota tied for fourth at 13-5. Minnesota went to the Sweet 16 and Michigan to the Elite Eight, while USC, Illinois, Washington, Maryland, Oregon, Michigan State, and Nebraska were also in the field. Wisconsin played in the WBIT, and Indiana, Purdue, Penn State, Northwestern, and Rutgers did not play in a postseason tournament.
The turnover is heavy at both ends of the table. Eight teams lost their leading scorer, and eight of the 18 teams have more newcomers than returners. Of the 236 players on the 18 rosters, 123 are new. The league’s best returning scorers are spread out, with Cambridge at Ohio State, Olson at Michigan, Heiden at Iowa, and Berry Wallace at Illinois all back, so the top of the standings will depend on which teams can replace what they lost. The Big Ten is deep and plentiful in talent this season, and one bad stretch could send anyone into a free fall.
Skim Milkey’s Predicted 2026-27 Order of Finish
1 - USC
2 - Iowa
3 - Michigan
4 - Ohio State
5 - Illinois
6 - Minnesota
7 - Washington
8 - Maryland
9 - UCLA
10 - Nebraska
11 - Oregon
12 - Michigan State
13 - Indiana
14 - Wisconsin
15 - Rutgers
16 - Northwestern
17 - Purdue
18 - Penn State
Skim Milkey’s Preseason All-Big Ten Team
Berry Wallace, F, Illinois
Cearah Parchment, F, Illinois
Ava Heiden, C, Iowa
Dani Carnegie, G, Iowa
Nunu Agara, F, Maryland
Oluchi Okananwa, G, Maryland
Olivia Olson, G, Michigan
Syla Swords, G, Michigan
Gracie Merkle, C, Minnesota
Britt Prince, G, Nebraska
Jaloni Cambridge, G, Ohio State
Katie Fiso, G, Oregon
Jazzy Davidson, G, USC
JuJu Watkins, G, USC
Sayvia Sellers, G, Washington
USC
Record: 18-14, 9-9 Big Ten (9th, tie, NCAA second round)
Coach: Lindsay Gottlieb, 6th season, 111-50 (17th overall, 346-178)
JuJu Watkins is back, and that changes where USC belongs. Watkins, a senior guard, missed last season while she recovered from a torn ACL. The Trojans went 9-9 in the Big Ten without her, lost to Washington 76-64 in the conference tournament, beat Clemson 71-67 in the first round of the NCAA Tournament, and lost to South Carolina 101-61 in the second round.
The departures are mostly guards. Kara Dunn, a senior guard, averaged 15.2 points and 5.0 rebounds, and Londynn Jones, a senior guard, averaged 10.5 points. Malia Samuels went to Indiana, and Gerda Raulušaityte went to Arizona.
Ryann Bennett, a junior guard from UC Davis, scored 15.2 points and handed out 4.1 assists, and Pania Davis, a senior center from Florida State, scored 7.7 points and grabbed 5.7 rebounds. The other four newcomers are freshmen, and Sara Okeke and Sitaya Fagan are both listed at 6-4.
Six players return, including Watkins, and the rest of the lineup is young and productive. Sophomore guard Jazzy Davidson scored 17.9 points, grabbed 5.6 rebounds, and handed out 4.1 assists. Kennedy Smith, a junior guard, scored 11.5 points and handed out 3.6 assists, and Laura Williams, a sophomore forward, scored 2.9 points and grabbed 4.8 rebounds. Rian Forestier and Brooklyn Shamblin are junior guards who played small roles.
USC has the highest ceiling in the league, and the one player who can lift a team on her own is back, which makes the Trojans my pick. Watkins did not play last season, so the scoring that returns is only part of what comes back. Davidson was the only returner who scored more than 12.0, so Lindsay Gottlieb needs Bennett to be the experienced scorer the roster lacked and Smith to keep growing. Saniyah Hall comes in as a game-changing freshman, and she might be the difference that pushes this team over the top, as she can both score and defend. Davis adds size, and Okeke and Fagan give the Trojans two freshman bigs listed at 6-4. What decides USC’s floor is how quickly Watkins finds her rhythm, because a healthy Watkins-Davidson backcourt is the best guard pairing in the league. There is also the offseason talk of “just one ball,” which means the scorers will get their shots, and Gottlieb will not allow one person to lose the game if they are having an off night. If the team does not gel, USC could drop to third or fourth, but the smart money says that USC will be just fine and win the Big Ten title.
Players to watch: JuJu Watkins, Jazzy Davidson, Kennedy Smith, Sara Okeke
Iowa
Record: 27-7, 15-3 Big Ten (2nd, tie, NCAA second round)
Coach: Jan Jensen, 3rd season, 50-18
Ava Heiden is back at Iowa, but the supporting cast around her changed. The Hawkeyes beat Illinois 64-58 and Michigan 59-42 in the Big Ten tournament and lost to UCLA 96-45 in the final. They beat Fairleigh Dickinson 58-48 in the first round of the NCAA Tournament and lost to Virginia 83-75 in the second round.
Hannah Stuelke, a senior forward, averaged 13.4 points, 9.0 rebounds, and 2.9 assists, and Taylor McCabe, a senior guard, averaged 8.1 points. Kylie Feuerbach, a senior guard, averaged 5.1 points, and Emely Rodriguez went to Syracuse.
Five players return. Heiden, a junior center, scored 18.0 points and grabbed 7.2 rebounds. Chazadi Wright, a junior guard, scored 12.5 points and added 4.5 assists, and Taylor Stremlow, a junior guard, scored 7.9 points and added 4.3 assists. Journey Houston, a sophomore guard, scored 5.4 points and grabbed 5.1 rebounds, and Layla Hays is a sophomore center.
Dani Carnegie, a junior guard from Georgia, scored 17.8 points and handed out 3.2 assists, and Amari Whiting, a senior guard from Oklahoma State, scored 9.4 points and grabbed 5.9 rebounds. Bria Medina is a senior guard from Division III Knox College. Jocelyn Faison, a sophomore guard from Georgia, Ella Strömdahl, a freshman forward, and McKenna Woliczko, a freshman forward, round out the class.
Ava Heiden is the best returning post player in the league, and Dani Carnegie gives the Hawkeyes the second scorer and perimeter go-to they need, so I have Iowa second. Three of last year’s five leading scorers return in Heiden, Wright, and Stremlow, and Carnegie would have been the second-leading scorer on last year’s team, so she replaces Stuelke’s perimeter scoring, with Whiting and Woliczko joining her as newcomers who should make an impact around them. The departures took most of the inside production with them, and Heiden is the only post player with proven scoring, with Hays, listed at 6-5, and Woliczko as the other options up front, which is why I do not trust the rebounding just yet. If Carnegie and Woliczko can play to their abilities throughout league play, and Iowa stays healthy all season long, Iowa can win the league.
Players to watch: Ava Heiden, Dani Carnegie, Chazadi Wright, Amari Whiting
Michigan
Record: 28-7, 15-3 Big Ten (2nd, tie, NCAA Elite Eight)
Coach: Kim Barnes Arico, 15th season, 312-151 (31st overall, 582-357)
Michigan lost almost nobody from a team that reached the Elite Eight. The Wolverines lost to Iowa 59-42 in the Big Ten tournament semifinals, then beat Holy Cross, NC State 92-63, and Louisville 71-52 in the NCAA Tournament before Texas beat them 77-41 in the Elite Eight.
The departures are small. Brooke Daniels, a senior guard, averaged 5.9 points and 5.4 rebounds and is now at South Carolina, and McKenzie Mathurin, a freshman guard who averaged 3.5 points, went to Missouri.
Courtney Ogden, a graduate guard from Stanford, scored 12.9 points and grabbed 4.3 rebounds, and she is the one significant addition. Dallas Loughridge, a senior guard from Australia’s Adelaide Lightning, scored 16.4 points in the WNBL last season and is the other non-freshman addition. The remaining two newcomers are freshmen, including forward Fope Ayo, listed at 6-5.
The returning core is the reason Michigan is a contender. Junior guard Olivia Olson scored 18.9 points and grabbed 6.1 rebounds, and junior guard Syla Swords scored 14.6 points. Junior guard Mila Holloway scored 12.3 points and handed out 4.8 assists but is sidelined indefinitely with a lower-left leg injury, and junior guard Te’Yala Delfosse scored 8.7 points. Ashley Sofilkanich, a senior forward, scored 7.7 points, and Kendall Dudley, a junior guard, scored 5.8 points. Ten players return in all.
Kim Barnes Arico has a group of guards who have played together for years, so the newcomers do not have to teach anyone the system. Olson and Swords can both create a shot, and Delfosse and Dudley give the lineup experienced guards behind them, but with Holloway out, someone else has to run the offense. The team has enough talent to handle it “by committee” until someone takes the reins. Swords, Ogden, and Loughridge would all be extremely capable of bringing the ball up the floor.
Michigan keeps most of its scoring even without Holloway, more than USC or Iowa keep, which is the case for third. Olson and Swords scored a combined 33.5 points a game last season, and both are back, so Michigan finishing third does not depend on Holloway alone. The loss to Texas in the Elite Eight showed the gap between a very good team and the best in the country, and the question is whether anyone on this roster can score inside against that kind of size. If Ogden fits quickly and Sofilkanich improves inside, this team has a solid case to win the league if they can mesh quickly. The depth of the guard room is why I have Michigan third, but if Holloway’s absence stretches deep into the conference season, that spot gets harder to hold.
Players to watch: Olivia Olson, Syla Swords, Te’Yala Delfosse, Courtney Ogden
Ohio State
Record: 27-8, 13-5 Big Ten (4th, tie, NCAA second round)
Coach: Kevin McGuff, 14th season, 303-121 (25th overall, 558-220)
Ohio State has a guard who can carry the offense and almost the same team around her. The Buckeyes beat Indiana 83-59 and Minnesota 60-55 in the Big Ten tournament, lost to UCLA 72-62 in the semifinals, and lost to Notre Dame 83-73 in the second round of the NCAA Tournament.
Chance Gray, a senior guard, averaged 14.7 points, and she is the main departure. T’yana Todd and Dasha Biriuk went to Grand Canyon. The newcomer class is three freshmen, Adriana Díaz, Atlee Vanesko, and Sydney Mobley, and Kevin McGuff did not add a transfer.
Jaloni Cambridge, a junior guard, scored 23.2 points, grabbed 5.6 rebounds, and handed out 4.4 assists. Elsa Lemmilä, a junior center, scored 9.1 points and grabbed 7.5 rebounds, and Kennedy Cambridge, a senior guard, scored 9.0 points. Kylee Kitts, a sophomore forward, scored 7.4 points and grabbed 5.6 rebounds, and Ava Watson, a junior guard, scored 7.2 points. Bryn Martin, Ella Hobbs, and Seini Henry are sophomores who played smaller roles. Eight players return in all.
Ohio State has one of the best rosters for continuity in the Big Ten. The Buckeyes bring back most of last season’s scoring, so Kevin McGuff did not have to rebuild through the portal. Kennedy Cambridge and Watson are experienced guards, and Martin, Hobbs, and Henry are sophomores who could move into bigger roles.
Jaloni Cambridge is one of the best individual players outside the top three teams, and with very little proven scoring behind her, Ohio State is fourth. The roster is old enough and familiar enough to trust under McGuff, and Kennedy Cambridge handed out 3.3 assists a game, which gives Jaloni Cambridge a second playmaker in the backcourt. Because no newcomer has played college ball, every rotation spot goes to a player who already knows the system, which is the best and worst thing about this roster: no one has to learn a role, but no one new is coming to fix the scoring problem behind Jaloni Cambridge. The next three returners behind her all scored in single figures, and Gray was the only other double-digit scorer. Any improvement from Lemmilä or Kitts would change the ceiling, and a jump from either one would make the Buckeyes a threat to finish inside the top three. Sydney Mobley is a freshman with good upside, and she could help push Ohio State to another level. If neither improves, Ohio State is a one-star team, and one-star teams tend to struggle against the teams ahead of them.
Players to watch: Jaloni Cambridge, Elsa Lemmilä, Kennedy Cambridge, Kylee Kitts
Illinois
Record: 22-12, 9-9 Big Ten (9th, tie, NCAA second round)
Coach: Shauna Green, 5th season, 85-47 (13th overall, 241-122)
Illinois returns 11 players from a team that won 22 games. The Fighting Illini beat Wisconsin 82-70 and Michigan State 71-69 in the Big Ten tournament, lost to Iowa 64-58 in the quarterfinals, beat Colorado 66-57 in the first round of the NCAA Tournament, and lost to Vanderbilt 75-57 in the second.
There is very little turnover. Freshman forward Naomi Benson and two other departures played small roles, and freshman guard Erica Finney missed last season before leaving. The newcomer class is four players. Divine Bourrage, a sophomore guard from LSU, scored 2.1 points, and Ona Riopedre, a junior guard from Raritan Valley Community College, comes from the junior college ranks. Lana Brenjo, a freshman forward, is listed at 6-4, and Morgan Baptist is a freshman forward.
Berry Wallace, a junior forward, scored 18.4 points and grabbed 6.2 rebounds, and Cearah Parchment, a sophomore forward, scored 13.6 points and grabbed 8.4 rebounds. Gretchen Dolan, a senior guard, scored 12.9 points in 18 games, and Maddie Webber, a senior guard, scored 10.8 points. Destiny Jackson, a sophomore guard, scored 9.9 points and handed out 5.2 assists, and Jasmine Brown-Hagger, a senior guard, scored 6.7 points. Manuella Alves, a sophomore forward, did not play last season. Eleven players return in all.
The Illini bring back nearly everyone and still have to prove they can beat better teams, which is why they are fifth this year, not higher. Illinois returns 83.8 of the 85.0 points a game its roster scored last season, the highest share in the league, so the team Shauna Green puts on the floor is almost exactly the one that won 22 games. Wallace and Parchment are one of the best forward tandems in the league, Dolan and Webber are experienced senior guards, and Jackson gives them a point guard with room to grow. The ceiling depends on whether the same group can beat top-tier teams, because the Illini lost to Vanderbilt in the second round of the NCAA Tournament and finished 9-9 in the league. A team this experienced should improve on that record, and if a few players improve and make a jump, this team could finish in the top three.
Players to watch: Berry Wallace, Cearah Parchment, Gretchen Dolan, Destiny Jackson
Minnesota
Record: 24-9, 13-5 Big Ten (4th, tie, NCAA Sweet 16)
Coach: Dawn Plitzuweit, 4th season, 69-36 (20th overall, 434-176)
Minnesota went to the Sweet 16 and then added a 6-6 center from Penn State. The Golden Gophers lost to Ohio State 60-55 in the Big Ten tournament quarterfinals, beat Green Bay and Ole Miss 65-63 in the NCAA Tournament, and lost to UCLA 80-56 in the Sweet 16.
Gracie Merkle, a fifth-year center from Penn State, scored 19.2 points and grabbed 8.2 rebounds, giving Dawn Plitzuweit the interior scorer she lacked. Leah Harmon, a junior guard from UCF, scored 15.7 points, and Tayla Thomas, a junior forward from Northwestern, scored 9.7 points and grabbed 7.2 rebounds. The other four newcomers are freshmen.
The returners are a strong base, though Tori McKinney, a junior guard who scored 12.7 points, is out for the season with a knee injury suffered in practice. Grace Grocholski, a senior guard, scored 12.1 points and handed out 2.9 assists, and Mara Braun, a fifth-year guard, scored 11.7 points. Makena Christian, a sophomore guard, scored 3.6 points. Eight players return in all.
The departures are the veterans. Amaya Battle, a senior guard, averaged 11.1 points, 7.5 rebounds, and 3.6 assists, and Sophie Hart, a senior forward, averaged 11.1 points and 6.3 rebounds. Tracey Bershers went to Kennesaw State.
Minnesota remains the most balanced team outside the top five, which keeps the Gophers sixth. The Gophers lost McKinney, their leading returning scorer, for the season, but Merkle, Harmon, and Thomas combined for 44.6 points a game at their old schools, so Dawn Plitzuweit can still put five players on the floor who scored in or near double figures last year. That kind of balance is rare in this league, and it gives the team a floor that the teams around it do not have. Plitzuweit has made a habit of getting this program, and others, to March, and the Sweet 16 run shows the ceiling. The concern is the depth behind Braun and Merkle with three new starters on the floor this season. McKinney’s injury leaves Grocholski, Braun, and Harmon as the only guards with proven scoring, and Kuol, Paben, Kussow, and Oehrlein are freshmen. Kussow and Oehrlein are extremely talented freshmen who will have to contribute at a high level this season. Minnesota can host NCAA Tournament games again this year, but they will need to stay healthy all season.
Players to watch: Gracie Merkle, Leah Harmon, Mara Braun, Grace Grocholski
Washington
Record: 22-11, 10-8 Big Ten (8th, NCAA second round)
Coach: Tina Langley, 6th season, 83-71 (12th overall, 209-132)
Washington has two high-scoring guards back and several new pieces. The Huskies beat USC 76-64 in the Big Ten tournament, lost to UCLA 78-60 in the quarterfinals, beat South Dakota State 72-54 in the first round of the NCAA Tournament, and lost to TCU 62-59 in the second round.
They graduate Elle Ladine, a senior guard who averaged 9.9 points and 5.0 rebounds, and Hannah Stines, a senior guard who averaged 6.8 points. Sienna Harvey went to Iowa State.
Tilda Trygger, a junior forward from NC State listed at 6-6, scored 10.6 points and grabbed 7.0 rebounds, and Brooke Carlson, a junior guard from Colorado State, scored 11.9 points and handed out 3.1 assists. Macey Huard, a senior guard from Oklahoma State, scored 6.4 points in 2024-25 and missed last season with a foot injury, and Petra Toman is a junior guard from Hungary. Kaelyn Carroll, a sophomore forward from Kentucky, and Amayah Garcia, a freshman guard, complete the class.
Sayvia Sellers, a senior guard, scored 18.0 points and added 3.9 assists, while Avery Howell, a junior guard, scored 14.2 points and grabbed 8.3 rebounds. Brynn McGaughy, a sophomore forward, scored 9.3 points and grabbed 4.3 rebounds, and Devin Coppinger, a junior guard, scored 3.8 points. Daniella McLean, a sophomore forward, did not play last season. Six players return in all.
They have a strong guard group, and the roster is full of players filling different roles. Sellers and Howell carry most of the returning scoring. They have one of the best backcourts in the middle of the league. Trygger gives them a real post player, and Carlson is a third guard who has scored in double figures before. Tina Langley won an NCAA Tournament game with Sellers and Howell leading the way, and with Trygger inside, I think the Huskies can stay in the top half of the league. The questions are Huard, who has not played in a year, and Toman, who has no college numbers to point to. If Huard can be a consistent scorer, if Toman can contribute well, and Kaelyn Carroll can make a big jump, the ceiling is fifth.
Players to watch: Sayvia Sellers, Avery Howell, Tilda Trygger, Brynn McGaughy
Maryland
Record: 24-9, 11-7 Big Ten (6th, tie, NCAA second round)
Coach: Brenda Frese, 25th season, 631-178 (28th overall, 688-208)
Maryland had a good season and then lost most of its backcourt. The Terrapins lost to Oregon 73-68 in the Big Ten tournament, beat Murray State 99-67 in the first round of the NCAA Tournament, and lost to North Carolina 74-66 in the second.
Kaylene Smikle, a senior guard, averaged 13.1 points in seven games and went to Tennessee. Yarden Garzon, a senior guard, averaged 12.5 points, 4.0 rebounds, and 3.0 assists, and Saylor Poffenbarger, a senior guard, averaged 9.5 points, 7.2 rebounds, and 3.2 assists. Isimenme Ozzy-Momodu, a senior forward, averaged 8.0 points and 6.4 rebounds and went to Oklahoma.
Oluchi Okananwa, a senior guard, scored 17.8 points and grabbed 5.4 rebounds, and Addi Mack, a sophomore guard, scored 11.0 points. Lea Bartelme, a redshirt freshman guard, scored 6.8 points and handed out 3.8 assists in four games. Bri McDaniel, a graduate guard, did not play last season. Seven players return in all.
Nunu Agara, a senior forward from Stanford, scored 15.3 points and grabbed 8.7 rebounds, and Chloe Sotell, a junior guard from Missouri, scored 8.0 points. The other four newcomers are freshmen, including Eva-Grace Yebila, a center listed at 6-4, and Mimi Thiero, a forward listed at 6-5.
Maryland has an elite scorer and some questions around her, so I have them eighth. The Terrapins lost more than half of last year’s scoring, and the backcourt took most of the losses. Brenda Frese has the track record to keep this group competitive, and I would never count her out. Okananwa and Mack are a solid base, and Agara is the kind of rebounder the roster needed. I do not rank them higher because three of the top five scorers are gone, and McDaniel has not played in a year. If McDaniel gives the backcourt a quick lift, Maryland can finish well above eighth, and with Okananwa as the scorer opponents have to plan for, the Terrapins are the middle team most likely to beat someone ahead of them. I never like betting against a Brenda Frese team, and eighth feels low to me, but the slot is just a by-product of how good the league will be. This group can finish as high as fourth if it all clicks.
Players to watch: Oluchi Okananwa, Nunu Agara, Addi Mack, Chloe Sotell
UCLA
Record: 37-1, 18-0 Big Ten (1st, NCAA champions)
Coach: Cori Close, 16th season, 358-144
UCLA won the national championship, and almost every player who did it is gone. The Bruins beat Iowa 96-45 in the Big Ten tournament final and then won six NCAA Tournament games, including 70-58 over Duke, 51-44 over Texas in the Final Four, and 79-51 over South Carolina in the title game.
The seniors who left are Lauren Betts, who averaged 17.1 points and 8.8 rebounds, Kiki Rice, who averaged 14.9 points and 4.3 assists, Gabriela Jaquez, who averaged 13.5 points, and Gianna Kneepkens, who averaged 12.8 points. Angela Dugalić averaged 9.0 points, and Charlisse Leger-Walker averaged 8.4 points and 5.6 assists.
Five players return. Sienna Betts, a sophomore forward, scored 6.0 points and grabbed 4.0 rebounds, and she is the most important of them. Lena Bilić, a sophomore who scored 3.0 points, is out for the season with a torn ACL, and senior forward Amanda Muse scored 1.3 points. Fifth-year forward Timea Gardiner did not play last season because of a knee injury. Christina Karamouzi is also coming back.
Cori Close went to the portal for the rest of the roster. Addy Brown, a senior forward from Iowa State, scored 11.9 points, grabbed 8.8 rebounds, and handed out 5.3 assists, and Donovyn Hunter, a senior guard from TCU, scored 10.2 points. Elina Aarnisalo, a junior guard from North Carolina, scored 10.2 points, and Bonnie Deas, a sophomore guard from Arkansas, scored 10.2 points and grabbed 9.0 rebounds. KK Bransford, a fifth-year guard from Notre Dame, scored 7.4 points, and Lina Jerković and Somto Okafor are freshman guards.
The rotation should be guard-heavy and small. It should look something like Aarnisalo at the point, with a combination of Deas, Hunter, Bransford, and Okafor around her. Addy Brown will play the wing or a small-ball four role, and Betts and Gardiner will round out the main rotation. Brown can handle the ball and rebound, and Deas rebounds well for a guard, so the lineup should be versatile, but it has no traditional center. Gardiner and Muse are the only other healthy players listed at 6-3 or taller, and neither has played much, so Sienna Betts has to be the main answer inside. Bilić would have been the best fit as a 6-3 versatile player, and her absence mostly costs the team depth.
I have UCLA ninth because the championship roster is gone and the new one has to find its identity in a league this deep. The Bruins return only 10.8 of the 86.9 points a game their roster scored last season, the lowest share in the league except Penn State and Purdue, and no returner who can play averaged more than 14 minutes a game, so four of the five starters I project are new to the program. Brown, Hunter, Aarnisalo, and Deas each scored in double figures at their old schools, but none have played together, and a lineup that has to build its spacing from scratch needs time to find itself. Cori Close is the best coach to trust with a rebuild like this, which keeps the floor from dropping lower. If Sienna Betts takes a big step as a sophomore, the Bruins can finish in the top third of the league, but until the new guards fit, ninth is where the roster belongs.
Players to watch: Sienna Betts, Addy Brown, Donovyn Hunter, Bonnie Deas
Nebraska
Record: 19-13, 7-11 Big Ten (12th, NCAA first round)
Coach: Amy Williams, 11th season, 177-136 (20th overall, 370-245)
Nebraska played its way into the NCAA Tournament through the First Four. The Cornhuskers lost to Indiana 72-69 in the Big Ten tournament, beat Richmond 75-56 in the First Four, and lost to Baylor 67-62 in the first round.
The departures are spread across the team. Jessica Petrie, a junior forward, averaged 11.3 points and went to Indiana, Eliza Maupin, a senior forward, averaged 7.3 points, and Callin Hake, a senior guard, averaged 7.2 points and 3.6 assists and went to Oklahoma State. Petra Božan went to Penn State.
Edessa Noyan, a senior forward from Indiana, scored 5.8 points and grabbed 5.8 rebounds, and Arek Angui, a junior center from Auburn, is listed at 6-9. The rest of the incoming class is freshmen.
Britt Prince, a junior guard, scored 17.9 points, grabbed 4.1 rebounds, and handed out 4.4 assists. Amiah Hargrove, a junior forward, scored 12.7 points and grabbed 5.5 rebounds, and Logan Nissley, a senior guard, scored 8.9 points. Allison Weidner, a sixth-year guard, and Natalie Potts, a senior forward, did not play last season. Seven players return in all.
Nebraska has a very good guard and a roster that depends on players coming back from a year away, so 10th is partly a hedge. The departures were balanced, so no single loss is as large as it looks. Prince and Hargrove give Amy Williams a good start, Nissley is a senior guard who has played real minutes, and Angui, listed at 6-9, gives her size that few teams in the league can match if she can stay out of foul trouble. Prince played 32 minutes a game last season, and Kennadi Williams, a junior guard, handed out 2.5 assists in only 15 minutes, so the backcourt has a second playmaker next to her. Ashlyn Koupal will play big minutes this season, and a few other freshmen will also compete for minutes in the rotation. If Potts or Weidner gives the roster a lift after a year away, Nebraska has real depth, but that is a lot of ifs. This is the team in the bottom half most likely to move up, because the two returners who sat out make it deeper than it looks. Nebraska is another team in the Big Ten that will make the tournament, but it is placed so low mainly because of the conference’s depth.
Players to watch: Britt Prince, Amiah Hargrove, Ashlyn Koupal, Natalie Potts
Oregon
Record: 23-13, 8-10 Big Ten (11th, NCAA second round)
Coach: Kelly Graves, 13th season, 264-136 (30th overall, 646-298)
Oregon finished 8-10 in the league and still won two games in the Big Ten tournament and one in the NCAA Tournament. The Ducks beat Purdue 82-64 and Maryland 73-68, lost to Michigan 80-58 in the quarterfinals, beat Virginia Tech 70-60 in the NCAA Tournament, and lost to Texas 100-58 in the second round.
The losses are on the wing and in the post. Elisa Mevius, a senior guard, averaged 12.5 points in two games and went to Green Bay, and Mia Jacobs, a senior forward, averaged 12.4 points and 5.2 rebounds. Sarah Rambus went to Syracuse.
Hilary Fuller, a junior forward from Belmont, scored 14.0 points and grabbed 4.6 rebounds, and Mallory Heyer is a fifth-year forward from Minnesota. The rest of the class is freshmen, including Emilia Krstevski, a center listed at 6-4.
Katie Fiso, a junior guard, scored 15.5 points and added 6.2 assists, while Ehis Etute, a junior forward, scored 12.5 points and grabbed 9.0 rebounds. Sofia Bell, a senior guard, scored 6.7 points and is out for the season with a lower-body injury suffered in practice, and Ari Long, a senior guard, scored 6.6 points. Avary Cain, a junior guard, scored 3.8 points, and Filippa Tilliander, a senior forward, scored 1.0 points. Six players return in all.
Fiso and Etute are a strong pair, and the rest of the Oregon roster is unproven, so I have the Ducks 11th. Most of the returning scoring comes from those two. Fuller is the best bet to be a third scorer, and Heyer is a fifth-year forward who has played in this league at Minnesota. The concern is that the team went 8-10 in the league and then lost Mia Jacobs, a double-digit scorer who also rebounded, so the frontcourt behind Etute depends on Fuller, Heyer, and Krstevski, a freshman center. Bell is out for the season, so the backcourt behind Fiso is Long, Cain, and freshmen, and none of them scored more than 7.0 points last year. The freshman duo of Brooklynn Haywood and Kennedy Holman will contribute this season and could raise the team’s floor considerably. A good year from Fuller could push the Ducks into the top eight, and without it, Oregon finishes about where it did last year.
Players to watch: Katie Fiso, Ehis Etute, Hilary Fuller, Brooklynn Haywood
Michigan State
Record: 23-9, 11-7 Big Ten (6th, tie, NCAA second round)
Coach: Robyn Fralick, 4th season, 67-28 (12th overall, 259-104)
Michigan State lost two of its top three scorers. The Spartans lost to Illinois 71-69 in the second round of the Big Ten tournament, beat Colorado State 65-62 in the first round of the NCAA Tournament, and lost to Oklahoma 77-71 in the second.
Their departures are Grace VanSlooten, a senior forward who averaged 15.1 points and 6.8 rebounds, and Jalyn Brown, a senior guard who averaged 11.1 points and went to UT Arlington. Rashunda Jones, a junior guard, averaged 11.7 points and went to Arizona State.
Kennedy Blair, a junior guard, scored 14.5 points, grabbed 7.1 rebounds, and handed out 5.2 assists, and she is the center of this team. Theryn Hallock, a graduate guard, scored 10.6 points in eight games, and Isaline Alexander, a graduate forward, scored 7.6 points. Six players return.
The new players are mostly depth. Carter McCray, a senior forward from West Virginia, scored 6.5 points and grabbed 5.3 rebounds, and Anna Wypych, a sophomore guard from Butler, scored 6.5 points. Tabitha Betson, a junior forward from Colorado, Alie Bisballe, a junior forward from Wisconsin, and Uche Kaine, a sophomore forward from South Georgia Tech, are the other transfers. Lilly Williams, a freshman center, is listed at 6-6.
Blair is a real star and the roster around her has more questions than answers, which leaves Michigan State 12th. The Spartans lost most of last year’s scoring, and the new group has to supply a lot of it. Robyn Fralick took the program to the second round of the NCAA Tournament last year, so culture is not the issue. Depth is, and the new forwards have not been featured scorers at their previous schools, while the frontcourt lost its best player in VanSlooten. Blair gives Fralick a guard who can score and create, and Hallock is a veteran who can help if healthy. If Hallock stays on the floor and one of the transfer forwards, Betson or Bisballe, scores more than she did before, the Spartans can move up into the top half of the conference. Michigan State has a few freshmen who can contribute early on if given the chance, so do not be surprised if one or two of them give this team a boost.
Players to watch: Kennedy Blair, Theryn Hallock, Carter McCray, Tabitha Betson
Indiana
Record: 18-14, 6-12 Big Ten (13th)
Coach: Teri Moren, 13th season, 264-126 (24th overall, 463-256)
Indiana lost its star and has to find a new way to score. The Hoosiers beat Nebraska 72-69 in the first round of the Big Ten tournament and lost to Ohio State 83-59 in the second round.
Shay Ciezki, a senior guard, averaged 22.8 points, 3.8 rebounds, and 3.1 assists and is gone. Nevaeh Caffey, a freshman guard, averaged 8.5 points and went to Missouri, and Edessa Noyan, a junior forward, averaged 5.8 points and went to Nebraska.
Four players return. Lenée Beaumont, a senior guard, scored 13.3 points and handed out 3.0 assists, and Zania Socka-Nguemen, a junior forward, scored 11.8 points and grabbed 8.7 rebounds in 12 games. Maya Makalusky, a sophomore forward, scored 9.7 points, and Sydney Fenn, a junior forward listed at 6-3, did not play last season.
Teri Moren replaced the departures with experienced players. Jess Petrie, a senior forward from Nebraska, scored 11.3 points and grabbed 4.8 rebounds, and Alisa Williams, a graduate forward from Iowa State, scored 4.8 points. Malia Samuels, a senior guard from USC, handed out 2.4 assists, and Kenzie Hare is a senior guard who played at Marquette and Iowa State. Ashlyn Anderson, a junior forward from Fanshawe College, and five freshmen complete the class.
The Hoosiers have fewer proven scorers than in recent years and a frontcourt that depends on health. Ciezki alone accounted for more than a quarter of last year’s scoring, and the new group has to replace her first. Moren has the track record to keep the floor from collapsing, and I am not going to bet against her. Beaumont and Socka-Nguemen are a good start, and Makalusky is young enough to take another step. Makalusky, Fenn, Socka-Nguemen, and Anderson are all listed at 6-3, so Indiana has plenty of size at forward, and Beaumont, who played 35 minutes a game last season, is the one guard who has carried this offense. I would watch for Addy Nyemchek and GiGi Battle to help Indiana this season as freshmen. The problem is the backcourt, where no one has been a featured player at their previous school. The floor is low if Socka-Nguemen misses time again, and the ceiling is the top 10.
Players to watch: Lenée Beaumont, Zania Socka-Nguemen, Jess Petrie, Maya Makalusky
Wisconsin
Record: 16-18, 5-13 Big Ten (14th, tie, WBIT appearance)
Coach: Robin Pingeton, 2nd season, 16-18 (32nd overall, 601-393)
Wisconsin lost 18 games and still made a run in the WBIT. The Badgers lost to Illinois 82-70 in the Big Ten tournament, then beat Oregon State 62-58, Miami 72-65, and Harvard 64-61 before losing to Columbia 67-50.
Destiny Howell, a senior guard, averaged 14.0 points and is gone. Gift Uchenna, a junior forward, averaged 9.1 points and 6.9 rebounds, and Ronnie Porter, a senior guard, averaged 6.0 points and 4.9 assists. Breauna Ware went to Wake Forest.
Kyrah Daniels, a senior guard, scored 12.4 points and grabbed 5.1 rebounds, and Laci Steele, a senior guard, scored 6.0 points. Dorja Zaja, a sophomore center, scored 5.3 points. Six players return in all.
Kadidia Toure, a graduate forward from LIU, scored 19.3 points, grabbed 10.6 rebounds, and handed out 3.0 assists, and she is the biggest addition. Caia Rose, a senior guard from Chattanooga, scored 17.0 points, handed out 5.1 assists, and was the Southern Conference Player of the Year. Addie Deal and Teagan Mallegni, both guards, come from Iowa. The class has four freshmen, including Adaline Sheplee and Leah Nordin, both listed at 6-3.
The Badgers have two real additions and won five league games, which is 14th. Toure and Rose have to replace most of what Howell, Uchenna, and Porter provided. Robin Pingeton has rebuilt programs before, and this one is early in that process. Porter ran the offense last year, so the point guard job is open, and Rose is the most likely answer. Toure and Rose were each the best player on their old teams, and the question is whether those numbers hold up against Big Ten defenses, especially for Rose, who comes from the Southern Conference. Daniels is a solid returning scorer, and Zaja, a 6-3 center, adds size. Adaline Sheplee might be one to watch as she has the potential to step in and perform well right away. Mallegni and Deal also have a chance to work through their growing pains and add depth. The WBIT run, which included wins over Miami and Harvard, gives the program a little confidence, but it does not make up for the loss of the top scorer. If Wisconsin can benefit from a few players improving from last year, this group might work its way up toward the top half of the conference.
Players to watch: Kadidia Toure, Kyrah Daniels, Laci Steele, Teagan Mallegni
Rutgers
Record: 9-20, 1-17 Big Ten (18th)
Coach: Gary Redus II, 1st season, 0-0
Rutgers won one Big Ten game and hired Gary Redus II, a former LSU assistant. He inherits a roster that lost its top scorer.
Nene Ndiaye, a junior forward, averaged 14.8 points and 5.3 rebounds and went to Oklahoma State. Faith Blackstone averaged 9.8 points and 4.0 rebounds, and Kaylah Ivey averaged 8.1 points and 3.6 assists. Janaé Walker, a junior forward, went to Virginia.
Zachara Perkins, a junior forward, scored 11.4 points and grabbed 4.8 rebounds, and Imani Lester, a graduate forward, scored 10.8 points and grabbed 5.3 rebounds. Lauryn Swann, a junior guard, scored 7.7 points. Six players return to the program.
The new class is large. Tara Daye, a graduate guard from Purdue, scored 12.4 points and grabbed 6.5 rebounds, and Zennia Thomas, a graduate forward from Howard, scored 15.2 points and grabbed 7.9 rebounds. Mia Pauldo, a sophomore guard from Tennessee, scored 10.4 points, and Mya Pauldo, also a sophomore guard from Tennessee, scored 1.8 points. Jaylah Lampley, a sophomore guard from Mississippi State, scored 8.3 points. Hope Masonius, a junior guard from Bucknell, and Natassja Kolff, a junior forward from Argentina, are the other additions, and Chikae Desdunes is a freshman guard.
The Scarlet Knights won one league game, but Rutgers is 15th because the roster has more scoring than that record suggests. Daye and Thomas each scored more at their old schools than any returner did here. Redus has more help than the Scarlet Knights had a year ago, and Daye and Thomas are the kind of veterans who can change a roster in a hurry. Perkins and Lester are a real inside pair, and with Precious Wheeler and Thomas, Rutgers has four forwards listed at 6-2 or 6-3, but the guards are small, with Mya and Mia Pauldo at 5-6 and Swann at 5-7. The problem is that the guard play behind Daye is unproven, although the Pauldo twins and Swann could step into bigger roles. The roster has to learn a new system, so this is still a rebuilding year, but the Scarlet Knights should win more league games than they did a year ago, and I think they will make their way to the Big Ten tournament.
Players to watch: Zennia Thomas, Tara Daye, Zachara Perkins, Mia Pauldo
Northwestern
Record: 8-21, 2-16 Big Ten (17th)
Coach: Carla Berube, 1st season, 0-0 (25th overall, 531-125)
Northwestern won two Big Ten games, and Carla Berube arrives with a long winning record. She comes from Princeton, where she built that program into a perennial contender.
The team lost two of its best players. Grace Sullivan, a senior forward, averaged 21.4 points and 6.1 rebounds, and Caroline Lau, a senior guard, averaged 8.8 points, 5.5 rebounds, and 8.4 assists. Tayla Thomas, a sophomore forward, averaged 9.7 points and 7.2 rebounds and went to Minnesota.
Casey Harter, a senior guard, scored 10.0 points and is the leading returner, and Xamiya Walton, a junior guard, scored 7.1 points. Eight players return in all, though most of the others played small roles.
The newcomers are mostly guards. Lily Carmody, a junior guard from Boston College, scored 12.8 points and is the most proven of them. Lexi Blue, a junior guard from Kentucky, and Camdyn Nelson, a sophomore guard from Syracuse, add depth, and Jasmyn Cooper-Derba is a sophomore forward from Syracuse. Brooke Golden and Romana Jelenc are freshman forwards listed at 6-3, and Xyanna Walton is a freshman guard.
The roster reflects a program that won two league games, lost its best player, and is going through a coaching change. Carla Berube is working with about a third of last year’s scoring. Berube has built programs before, but this one has a long way to go, and the pick reflects the roster and not the coach. Harter and Carmody give her two guards who can score, and the frontcourt has almost nothing proven, with Golden and Jelenc as freshmen listed at 6-3 and Cooper-Derba as a sophomore. Losing Sullivan and Thomas inside hurts more than the guard losses, and the other six returners combined for only 7.0 points a game last season, so the depth behind Harter and Xamiya Walton is as thin as the frontcourt, and the freshmen will have to play. I would not bet against her building a competitive team within a couple of seasons, but this season, I think they will finish in the bottom four.
Players to watch: Lily Carmody, Casey Harter, Lexi Blue, Xamiya Walton
Purdue
Record: 13-17, 5-13 Big Ten (14th, tie)
Coach: Katie Gearlds, 6th season, 74-81 (14th overall, 301-130)
Purdue replaced almost everybody. The Boilermakers lost to Oregon 82-64 in the first round of the Big Ten tournament, and their top scorers left in the offseason.
Tara Daye, a senior guard, averaged 12.4 points and 6.5 rebounds and went to Rutgers, and Kiki Smith, a junior guard, averaged 10.7 points and went to Texas Tech. Madison Layden-Zay, a senior guard, averaged 10.2 points and 3.3 assists, and Nya Smith went to Georgia. Hila Karsh went to Xavier and Kendall Puryear went to South Florida.
Only Avery Gordon, McKenna Layden, and Saige Stahl return. Gordon, a sophomore center, scored 4.7 points, and Layden, a senior guard, scored 2.7 points.
The transfer class is the story. Hannah Wickstrom, a junior guard from UC Riverside, scored 23.0 points, grabbed 7.2 rebounds, and handed out 2.8 assists. Aysia Proctor, a senior guard from North Texas, scored 14.5 points but is out for the 2026-27 season with a torn ACL, and Kyndall Hunter, a redshirt senior guard from Houston, scored 9.2 points. Averi Aaron, a junior forward from Louisiana Tech, scored 6.5 points and grabbed 4.5 rebounds. Anjela Minja, a junior center from Gulf Coast State, Taylor Henderson, a redshirt junior guard from UNCW, and Jelena Bulajić, a sophomore guard from South Florida, are the other transfers. Four freshmen fill out the roster, though one of them, Zoja Štirn, is also out for the season with a torn ACL.
Katie Gearlds is betting on 11 new players, and the group has not yet shown it can win in the Big Ten, so I have Purdue 17th. Very little of last year’s scoring returns, which means almost everything has to come from the portal class. The roster has more scoring than a year ago on paper, since Wickstrom and Hunter each scored in or near double figures at their old schools. Still, much of that came at mid-major programs. The Big Ten defends differently, and Proctor, the class’s second-best scorer, is out for the season. Purdue finished 5-13 in the league last year, so Gearlds needs this group to win right away. Minja is a 6-5 center, and Gordon is listed at 6-7, which gives the roster size few Big Ten teams can match. Purdue could finish a few spots higher if Wickstrom is as good as her numbers, but she now has to do it with less backcourt help than the Boilermakers expected, and any backcourt injury would hurt this season.
Players to watch: Hannah Wickstrom, Kyndall Hunter, Jelena Bulajić, Avery Gordon
Penn State
Record: 11-18, 4-14 Big Ten (16th)
Coach: Tanisha Wright, 1st season, 0-0
Penn State has a new coach and a new roster. Tanisha Wright, a Penn State alumna and former head coach of the WNBA’s Atlanta Dream, has no college head-coaching record.
Almost everyone left. Kiyomi McMiller, a sophomore guard, averaged 21.6 points, 5.0 rebounds, and 4.5 assists and went to Florida. Gracie Merkle, a senior center, averaged 19.2 points and 8.2 rebounds and went to Minnesota. Moriah Murray went to Florida, and Téa Cléante went to Kansas State. Vitória Santana, a graduate guard who scored 2.4 points, is the only returner.
Wright rebuilt with 10 newcomers. Skylar Durley, a sophomore guard from Nevada, scored 11.9 points and grabbed 6.0 rebounds. Savannah White, a graduate forward from Xavier, scored 7.0 points, grabbed 7.3 rebounds, and handed out 2.4 assists. Petra Božan, a junior forward from Nebraska, scored 6.6 points, and Cristen Carter, a senior forward from Georgetown and Butler, scored 4.6 points. Devyn Quigley, Enjulina Gonzalez, and Ava Black are transfer guards who played small roles, and Ashlee Brown, Irene García, and Kamrah Banks are freshmen.
The roster is small and guard-heavy. Seven of the 11 players are listed as guards, and the two tallest, Božan and Carter, are both 6-4, so Tanisha Wright has few post options. Gonzalez has played at Georgia, Miami (Ohio), and Mercer, and Black came from Vanderbilt, so the guard group has experience at several levels. Still, it will have to rebound and defend against much bigger lineups in this league.
A new coach with a new roster is hard to project, especially in this league, so Penn State is 18th. Almost none of the 79.8 points a game that last season’s roster scored are back, and McMiller and Merkle alone combined for 40.8 points a game before they left. Wright has a lot of credibility as a player and a professional coach, but she has not yet recruited and managed a college roster. Durley and White are the only newcomers with a real scoring résumé, and the transfers who played small roles now have to be starters. The roster is small, and if an injury bug bites, it could get ugly. A bounce-back season could come in year two, but I would be surprised by more than a handful of league wins this year and a finish above 16th in the standings.
Players to watch: Skylar Durley, Savannah White, Petra Božan, Devyn Quigley
Big Ten Round-Up
USC is my pick, with Iowa second and Michigan third, and I could see any of the first three winning it. The Trojans have JuJu Watkins back on the floor, the Hawkeyes have Ava Heiden and Dani Carnegie, and the Wolverines have the most returning production of the three, even with Mila Holloway out. Ohio State and Illinois round out the top five, and Minnesota, Washington, and Maryland are close behind and could climb into it. UCLA is the biggest question mark in the league: the national champions lost their six leading scorers, and I have them ninth because the new group has to find itself.
The back half is wide open, and Nebraska, Oregon, Michigan State, and Indiana could swap places all year. For Nebraska, it comes down to Natalie Potts and Allison Weidner returning at full strength; for Oregon, a third scorer beside Katie Fiso and Ehis Etute; for Michigan State, the frontcourt around Kennedy Blair; and for Indiana, whether Zania Socka-Nguemen stays on the floor. Nebraska is my favorite to move up if Potts and Weidner are as good as advertised. Penn State, Northwestern, and Rutgers all have new coaches, and Penn State has the longest road, but Purdue is rebuilding too, so the bottom of the league will be a real fight.
Editor’s Note: Records and conference standings reflect the final 2025-26 Big Ten regular season and postseason. Player stats reflect 2025-26 production, unless noted. All 18 rosters have been confirmed against official, live 2026-27 team pages as of October 31st. Coaching and roster notes reflect known offseason moves as of October 31st. Roster additions may shift rosters before the season opens in November and may affect the order as of this writing.
