Why the Big Ten is best conference in Women's Basketball this year

The NCAA women's basketball championship has not been won by a Big Ten team since 1999 when Purdue defeated Duke to complete a 34-1 season. Caitlin Clark was able to lead Iowa to the season finale in back-to-back seasons but couldn’t get the job done. The Hawkeyes' appearance in 2023 was the first time a Big Ten team had made it to the final since Rutgers in 2007.

With the addition of West Coast power and lots of midseason success from unexpected teams, this could finally be the year where the Big Ten takes one home.

A few teams are having historic seasons. Minnesota got off to a 16-1 start, making it the best 17-game stretch in school history. The Gophers also landed in the AP Top 25 for the first time since 2019.

Maryland started the season 14-0, which was the Terps' best start since the 2011-12 season.

Michigan State won its first 11 games of the season, earning its best start in program history.

The Big Ten has some of the best scoring offenses in the country, with six teams averaging 80 plus points per game.

A season ago, the Big Ten had seven teams that made it to the NCAA Tournament. In the most recent bracketology projection for the 2025 field, 13 teams from the conference were selected to make the tournament, including two earning number-one seeds. The conference is on pace to break the record for the most teams from a conference to qualify for a single NCAA Tournament in men’s or women’s basketball history.

The two teams that lead the way are first-year members UCLA and USC.

The Bruins are the best team in the country, standing tall at 18-0. The Trojans are ranked fourth at 18-1, with their lone loss of the season coming to No. 3 Notre Dame back in November. The other Big Ten teams ranked in the top 25 include Maryland (8), Ohio State (12), Michigan State (21), Minnesota (23) and Michigan (24).

Iowa, Nebraska, Illinois, Oregon and Indiana have all been ranked in previous polls this season.

With Ohio State being upset by Penn State on Sunday, UCLA and USC remain the lone undefeated teams in conference play.

These West Coast powers are also home to some of the best players in the country. For the Bruins, it's 6-foot-7 center Lauren Betts, and for the Trojans, it’s reigning National Freshman of the Year and First Team All–American JuJu Watkins. Both are very strong contenders for National Player of the Year and All-American candidates.

Watkins’ 24.8 PPG is the best in the Big Ten and third best in the nation. Betts is averaging 20 PPG, which is second in the conference and top 20 in the nation. Betts leads the Big Ten with 2.8 blocks per game and is also a top-five blocker in the country.

The Big Ten has also seen a lot of production from its rookies. The most notable freshmen to keep an eye out for the next four years are Rutgers’s Kiyomi McMiller, Michigan’s Syla Swords and Ohio State’s Jaloni Cambridge.

McMiller falls right behind Watkins and Betts in the points per game ranking, averaging 19.1. The Burlington, New Jersey native was ranked No. 22 in the 2024 class, and her decision to stay home has paid off. She also leads the team in assists (2.9) and had a season-high 33 points in a 69-62 loss to Nebraska.

Swords was ranked No. 4 in the 2024 class, making her the highest-ranked recruit in Michigan history. Swords was also on Team Canada at the 2024 Olympics. In Swords’s Wolverine debut she scored 27 points and had 12 rebounds against reigning national champion South Carolina.

Cambridge was the No. 2 overall recruit and averages 15.4 PPG for the Buckeyes. She leads the team with 4.1 APG. Cambridge has scored 20 plus points in four games this season, including 31 in her college debut against Cleveland State and 29 against Michigan.

This season, the Big Ten has more contenders than ever before and is also home to some of the best players in the country. With March looming around the corner, this conference has the chance to bring home another basketball trophy.

Gianna Dowling is a second-year majoring in broadcast journalism. To contact her, email gmd5738@psu.edu.