This season of Big Ten women’s basketball has featured must-watch games and a deep pool of talent. The conference is now getting together for the Big Ten Tournament this week at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis. Action tipped off Wednesday afternoon, and Sunday’s championship game airs on CBS.
UCLA was the outright champion of the conference regular season title after completing the first perfect Big Ten season in more than a decade. The Bruins are the No. 1 seed for the conference tournament and have likely already locked in a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament.
Iowa is the No. 2 seed for the Big Ten Tournament as Jan Jensen continues to succeed in the post-Lisa Bluder and post-Caitlin Clark era. Earlier this season, the Hawkeyes got three consecutive wins against top-15 opponents for the first time in program history.
USC has struggled without star JuJu Watkins, as reflected by the Trojans’ 17-12 overall record. However, they have had a few bright spots, including a win over Iowa on Jan. 29. Jazzy Davidson is a top Big Ten Freshman of the Year candidate as she has led the Trojans in every major category.
The biggest surprise this season has been Minnesota, a team that has not been to the NCAA Tournament since 2018. The Gophers are not just set to return to the Big Dance, they are projected to host for the first time ever as a top-four seed. They earned the No. 4 seed in the Big Ten, which means a double-bye this week.
Women’s basketball Big Ten Tournament bracket
Women’s basketball Big Ten Tournament schedule
All times Eastern
Wednesday, March 4 — First Round
- Game 1: No. 13 Indiana 72, No. 12 Nebraska 69
- Game 2: No. 10 Illinois 82, No. 15 Wisconsin 70
- Game 3: No. 11 Oregon 82, No. 14 Purdue 64
Thursday, March 5 — Second Round
- Game 4: No. 9 USC vs. No. 8 Washington — 12 p.m. (Big Ten Network)
- Game 5: Indiana vs. No. 5 Ohio State — 25 min. after Game 4 (BTN)
- Game 6: Illinois vs. No. 7 Michigan State — 6:30 p.m. (BTN)
- Game 7: Oregon vs. No. 6 Maryland — 35 min. after Game 6 (BTN)
Friday, March 6 — Quarterfinals
- Game 8: Game 4 winner vs. No. 1 UCLA — 12 p.m. (BTN)
- Game 9: Game 5 winner vs. No. 4 Minnesota — 25 min. after Game 8 (BTN)
- Game 10: Game 6 winner vs. No. 2 Iowa– 6:30 p.m. (BTN)
- Game 11: Game 7 winner vs. No. 3 Michigan — 25 min. after Game 10 (BTN)
Saturday, March 7 – Semifinals
- Game 12: Game 8 winner vs. Game 9 winner — 2 p.m. (BTN)
- Game 13: Game 10 winner vs. Game 11 winner — 4:30 p.m. (BTN)
Sunday, March 8 — Championship
Title game: Game 12 winner vs. Game 13 winner — 2:15 p.m. (CBS)
Big Ten Tournament odds
Odds as of March 2 via DraftKings
- UCLA: -295
- Michigan: +400
- Iowa: +1100
- Minnesota: +1400
- Maryland: +1900
- Michigan State: +3000
- Ohio State: +3500
- USC: +6000
