2025–26 Big Ten Conference women's basketball season
| 2025–26 Big Ten Conference women's basketball season | |
|---|---|
| League | NCAA Division I |
| Sport | Basketball |
| Teams | 18 |
| TV partner(s) | Big Ten Network, Fox, FS1, Peacock |
| 2025–26 NCAA Division I women's basketball season | |
| Tournament | |
| Conf. | Overall | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team | W | L | PCT | W | L | PCT | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| No. 7 Maryland | 1 | – | 0 | 1.000 | 13 | – | 0 | 1.000 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| No. 20 Nebraska | 1 | – | 0 | 1.000 | 12 | – | 0 | 1.000 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Illinois | 1 | – | 0 | 1.000 | 11 | – | 1 | .917 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| No. 19 Ohio State | 1 | – | 0 | 1.000 | 11 | – | 1 | .917 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| No. 4 UCLA | 1 | – | 0 | 1.000 | 11 | – | 1 | .917 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| No. 6 Michigan | 1 | – | 0 | 1.000 | 10 | – | 1 | .909 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| No. 14 Iowa | 1 | – | 0 | 1.000 | 10 | – | 2 | .833 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| No. 17 USC | 1 | – | 0 | 1.000 | 9 | – | 3 | .750 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Wisconsin | 1 | – | 0 | 1.000 | 9 | – | 3 | .750 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| No. 24 Michigan State | 0 | – | 1 | .000 | 11 | – | 1 | .917 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Oregon | 0 | – | 1 | .000 | 12 | – | 2 | .857 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Indiana | 0 | – | 1 | .000 | 11 | – | 2 | .846 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Washington | 0 | – | 1 | .000 | 10 | – | 2 | .833 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Minnesota | 0 | – | 1 | .000 | 9 | – | 3 | .750 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Purdue | 0 | – | 1 | .000 | 8 | – | 4 | .667 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Rutgers | 0 | – | 1 | .000 | 8 | – | 4 | .667 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Penn State | 0 | – | 1 | .000 | 7 | – | 5 | .583 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Northwestern | 0 | – | 1 | .000 | 6 | – | 6 | .500 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| † 2026 Big Ten tournament winner As of December 22, 2025 Rankings from AP Poll | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
The 2025–26 Big Ten women's basketball season began with practices in October 2025, followed by the start of the 2025–26 NCAA Division I women's basketball season in November 2025. The regular season will end in March of 2026.
The season will be the conference's second with 18 teams. The conference announced that all teams will play 18 regular season conference games with each school playing one school both home and away, while facing 16 teams once.[1] However, only 15 of the 18 teams will qualify for the Big Ten tournament.[2]
Head coaches
Coaching changes
Wisconsin
On March 9, 2025, Marisa Moseley resigned as head coach at Wisconsin after four years.[3] On March 25, 2025, former Missouri head coach Robin Pingeton was named Moseley's successor.[4]
Coaches
| Team | Head coach | Previous job | Years at school | Overall record | Big Ten record | Big Ten titles | Big Ten Tournament titles | NCAA Tournaments | NCAA Final Fours | NCAA Championships |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Illinois | Shauna Green | Dayton | 4 | 63–35 | 30–24 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| Indiana | Teri Moren | Indiana State | 12 | 246–112 | 124–68 | 1 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 0 |
| Iowa | Jan Jensen | Iowa (Assoc.) | 2 | 23–11 | 10–8 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Maryland | Brenda Frese | Minnesota | 24 | 607–169 | 159–34* | 6 | 5 | 21 | 3 | 1 |
| Michigan | Kim Barnes Arico | St. John's (Asst.) | 14 | 284–144 | 129–91 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 0 | 0 |
| Michigan State | Robyn Fralick | Bowling Green | 3 | 44–19 | 23–13 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| Minnesota | Dawn Plitzuweit | West Virginia | 3 | 45–27 | 13–23 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Nebraska | Amy Williams | South Dakota | 10 | 158–123 | 79–80 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 |
| Northwestern | Joe McKeown | George Washington | 18 | 268–258 | 110–182 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| Ohio State | Kevin McGuff | Washington | 13 | 224–109 | 116–62 | 4 | 1 | 8 | 0 | 0 |
| Oregon | Kelly Graves | Gonzaga | 12 | 241–123 | 10–8 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 0 |
| Penn State | Carolyn Kieger | Marquette | 5 | 73–105 | 26–83 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Purdue | Katie Gearlds | Marian | 5 | 61–64 | 24–47 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Rutgers | Coquese Washington | Notre Dame (Assoc.) | 4 | 31–63 | 10–44 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| UCLA | Cori Close | Florida State (Assoc.) | 15 | 321–143 | 16–2 | 0 | 1 | 9 | 1 | 0 |
| USC | Lindsay Gottlieb | Cleveland Cavaliers (Asst.) | 5 | 93–35 | 17–1 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| Washington | Tina Langley | Rice | 5 | 61–60 | 9–9 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Wisconsin | Robin Pingeton | Missouri | 1 | 0–0 | 0–0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Notes:
- All records, appearances, titles, etc. are from time with current school only.
- Year at school includes 2025–26 season.
- Overall and Big Ten records are from time at current school and are through the beginning of the season.
- Frese's ACC conference record excluded since Maryland began Big Ten Conference play in 2014–15.
Preseason
Preseason Big Ten poll
Prior to the conference's annual media day, conference standings were projected by a panel of writers.[5]
| Rank | Team |
|---|---|
| 1 | UCLA |
| 2 | Maryland |
| 3 | Michigan |
| 4 | USC |
| 5 | Ohio State |
Preseason All-Big Ten
A select media panel named a preseason All-Big Ten team and player of the year.[5]
| Honor | Recipient |
|---|---|
| Preseason Player of the Year | Lauren Betts, UCLA |
| Preseason All-Big Ten Team | |
| Hannah Stuelke, Iowa | |
| Yarden Garzon, Maryland | |
| Kaylene Smikle, Maryland | |
| Olivia Olson, Michigan | |
| Syla Swords, Michigan | |
| Grace VanSlooten, Michigan State | |
| Jaloni Cambridge, Ohio State | |
| Lauren Betts, UCLA | |
| Kiki Rice, UCLA | |
| JuJu Watkins, USC | |
| Sayvia Sellers, Washington |
Regular season
Rankings
Awards and honors
Players of the Week
Throughout the conference regular season, Big Ten Conference offices named two players (Player and Freshman) of the week each Monday.
| Week | Player of the week | Freshman of the week |
|---|---|---|
| November 10, 2025[6] | Shay Ciezki, Indiana | Hila Karsh, Purdue Jazzy Davidson, USC |
| November 17, 2025[7] | Sayvia Sellers, Washington | Addi Mack, Maryland |
| November 24, 2025[8] | Ava Heiden, Iowa | Destiny Jackson, Illinois |
| December 1, 2025[9] | Gabriela Jaquez, UCLA | Jazzy Davidson, USC |
| December 8, 2025[10] | Lauren Betts, UCLA | Cearah Parchment, Illinois |
| December 15, 2025[11] | Shay Ciezki, Indiana | Maya Makalusky, Indiana |
| December 22, 2025[12] | Yarden Garzon, Maryland | Jazzy Davidson, USC |
References
- ^ "2025-26 Big Ten Women's Basketball Conference Slate Unveiled". BigTen.org. September 18, 2025. Retrieved September 26, 2025.
- ^ "Expanded Big Ten basketball tourneys will only include 15 of league's 18 teams". Chicago Sun-Times. January 30, 2024. Retrieved September 26, 2025.
- ^ "Wisconsin's Marisa Moseley resigns after 4th losing season". ESPN.com. March 9, 2025. Retrieved September 26, 2025.
- ^ "Robin Pingeton lands at Wisconsin after resigning from Missouri". ESPN.com. March 25, 2025. Retrieved September 26, 2025.
- ^ a b "UCLA, Betts Headline Big Ten Women's Basketball Preseason Honors". BigTen.org. October 2, 2025. Retrieved November 29, 2025.
- ^ "Indiana, Purdue and USC Score Big Ten Weekly Women's Basketball Awards". BigTen.org. November 10, 2025. Retrieved November 10, 2025.
- ^ "Washington and Maryland Net Big Ten Weekly Women's Basketball Awards". BigTen.org. November 17, 2025. Retrieved November 17, 2025.
- ^ "Iowa and Illinois Score Big Ten Weekly Women's Basketball Awards". BigTen.org. November 24, 2025. Retrieved November 24, 2025.
- ^ "UCLA and USC Capture Big Ten Weekly Women's Basketball Honors". BigTen.org. December 1, 2025. Retrieved December 1, 2025.
- ^ "UCLA and Illinois Net Big Ten Weekly Women's Basketball Honors". BigTen.org. December 8, 2025. Retrieved December 8, 2025.
- ^ "Indiana Sweeps Big Ten Weekly Women's Basketball Honors". BigTen.org. December 15, 2025. Retrieved December 15, 2025.
- ^ "Maryland and USC Claim Big Ten Weekly Women's Basketball Honors". BigTen.org. December 22, 2025. Retrieved December 22, 2025.