Big Ten Weekly Women's Basketball Central - Nov. 18-24

Big Ten Women's Basketball | Big Ten Standings | Big Ten Schedule & Results
Big Ten Statistics | NCAA Statistics | National Top 25 Polls (Nov. 17-18)

Big Ten Weekly Release - Nov. 18

Big Ten. Big News.

• A trio of high-profile matchups are on the agenda for the Big Ten this week. No. 19/20 Iowa will face No. 7/10 Baylor on Thursday as part of the WBCA Showcase in Orlando, Fla. The contest is set for 9 p.m. ET on ESPN2. Friday opens with No. 11 USC visiting No. 24/23 Notre Dame for a 6 p.m. ET tipoff on ESPN. A top-10 showdown is slated for 8 p.m. ET on FOX between No. 6/9 Michigan and defending national champion No. 1 UConn at the Basketball Hall of Fame Women’s Showcase in Uncasville, Conn.
• The Big Ten paces all Division I conferences with 64 wins so far this season, followed by the SEC (63), ACC (54) and Big 12 (54). The conference has 12 teams with unblemished records and owns a .914 win percentage, which ranks second behind the SEC (63-5, .926).
• The Big Ten currently leads all Division I conferences in field goal percentage (48.3) and assists (18.1 apg) while ranking second in scoring (81.8 ppg).
• Michigan State leads the nation in assist/turnover ratio (3.14), assists per game (27.5) while coming in fourth in field goal percentage (55.6) and scoring offense (102.8). The Spartans are also averaging 18.3 steals per game to rank fifth.
• The Big Ten Conference had seven programs featured in this week’s Associated Press (AP) Top 25 poll. UCLA stayed steady at No. 3, followed by No. 6 Michigan, No. 9 Maryland, No. 11 USC, No. 19 Iowa, No. 22 Michigan State and No. 25 Washington. Ohio State, Minnesota and Nebraska received votes.
• Michigan vaulted to No. 6 in the AP Top 25 poll, the second-highest ranking in program history and highest since coming in at No. 6 on Feb. 21, 2022.
• Six programs made an appearance in the Women’s Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA)/USA Today Top 25 poll – No. 3 UCLA, No. 6 Maryland, No. 9 Michigan, No. 11 USC, No. 20 Iowa and No. 25 Michigan State. Washington, Minnesota, Ohio State and Nebraska garnered votes.
• The Los Angeles Athletic Club John R. Wooden Award, presented by Principal, announced its preseason women’s watch list on Tuesday. The 50-player watch list featured 10 representatives from the Big Ten – Addie Deal (Iowa), Hannah Stuelke (Iowa), Olivia Olson (Michigan), Syla Swords (Michigan), Jaloni Cambridge (Ohio State), Lauren Betts (UCLA), Sienna Betts (UCLA), Gianna Kneepkens (UCLA), Kiki Rice (UCLA) and Jazzy Davidson (USC).
• Michigan’s Olivia Olson and Washington’s Sayvia Sellers were tabbed as two of five Ann Meyers Drysdale National Players of the Week by the U.S. Basketball Writers Association (USBWA) on Tuesday. Olson turned in 20 points, six rebounds, three assists and two steals to help Michigan earn its largest win over a ranked opponent in program history, a 93-54 victory over No. 18 Notre Dame. Sellers accumulated 24.5 points while shooting 55.6 percent from the field over two wins for the Huskies. She shot 61.5 percent from the floor (8-for-13) to finish with 19 points and five assists versus Montana and matched her career high with 30 points at Utah. Sellers was also selected as the Big Ten Player of the Week on Monday for her efforts. UCLA was recognized as the USBWA National Team of the Week after going 3-0 last week, which included victories over No. 6 Oklahoma and No. 11 North Carolina.
• Maryland’s Addi Mack was named the Tamika Catchings National Freshman of the Week by the USBWA. Mack paced the Terps with 15 points, six assists, three steals and three rebounds against Towson. She made her first career start versus Princeton and chipped in 15 points, six rebounds, four assists and two steals. Her performance earned her Big Ten Freshman of the Week honors on Monday.
• Congratulations to Indiana head coach Teri Moren, who secured her 250th win at the helm for the Hoosiers. The 12th-year leader is already the program’s all-time wins leader (set in 2023).
• Michigan knocked off No. 18 Notre Dame on Saturday, 93-54, to earn its largest win over a ranked opponent in program history.
• With three assists versus NJIT, Amaya Battle became the fifth Gopher in program history to have recorded 1,000+ points and 500+ assists.
• Ohio State built a 26-0 lead after one quarter of play against Bellarmine, keeping its opponent scoreless in a quarter for the first time in program history. 
• The 2025-26 season will be the final ride for storied Northwestern head coach Joe McKeown, who announced on March 24 that he intends to retire at the conclusion of season. McKeown is the longest-tenured and winningest head women’s basketball coach in Northwestern history. This is his 18th season in Evanston and his 40th season overall as a head coach.
• Each Big Ten institution will play an 18-game conference schedule for the seventh time in eight seasons. The conference season tips off on Saturday, Dec. 6, with three games, while the remaining 12 teams open conference action on Sunday, Dec. 7. The league slate pauses for the holidays and resumes on Sunday, Dec. 28 with a four-game lineup. During the conference season, each program will play one school both home and away, while facing 16 teams once. Of the single-play opponents, institutions will face eight at home and eight on the road.
• The 2026 Allstate Big Ten Women’s Basketball Tournament is set for March 4-8 at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, marking the 27th time the tournament will be played in Circle City. Fifteen teams will qualify for the tournament, with three first-round games slated for Wednesday, March 4 on Peacock. The second-round, quarterfinal and semifinal contests on Thursday, Friday and Saturday will be carried on the Big Ten Network. CBS will broadcast the championship game for the third year in a row on Sunday.