Big Ten Weekly Women's Basketball Central - Dec. 3-9

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Big Ten Weekly Release - Dec. 3

• Early December ushers in a mix of non-conference and conference games to the Big Ten schedule. This week’s non-conference slate is highlighted by a matchup between RV Tennessee and No. 17/20 Iowa on Saturday in the Women’s Champions Classic at the Barclays Center. The game is set to air on FOX at 7 p.m. ET. The Big Ten season tips off with eight games over Saturday and Sunday. No. 21 Illinois heads to Columbus on Sunday to face No. 12/7 Ohio State at 4 p.m. ET on the Big Ten Network.
• For the first time in the history of the Big Ten Conference, nine women’s basketball teams were ranked in the Associated Press (AP) poll. The last time any conference had nine teams ranked in the AP poll was in 1996. UCLA remained in the top spot and was joined by No. 6 USC, No. 7 Maryland, No. 12 Ohio State, No. 17 Iowa, No. 21 Illinois, No. 23 Michigan, No. 24 Michigan State and No. 25 Nebraska. Oregon and Minnesota received votes.
• Michigan and Michigan State entered the AP poll for the first time this season. The last time the Spartans were ranked was Jan. 4, 2021. Michigan last appeared in the final poll of the 2022-23 season.
• The Women’s Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA)/USA Today poll featured seven Big Ten teams this week. UCLA moved up to No.1, followed by No. 6 USC, No. 7 Ohio State, No. 8 Maryland, No. 20 Iowa, No. 21 Illinois and No. 25 Michigan State. Nebraska, Michigan and Penn State garnered votes. The Big Ten and SEC tied for the most ranked teams.
• The Big Ten paces all Division I conferences with 119 non-conference wins so far this season, followed by the ACC (107), SEC (100) and Big 12 (99). The conference also has six teams with unblemished records.
• Offensive production remains the calling card of the Big Ten Conference. The league has eight teams averaging more than 80 points per game, all of which are included among the nation’s top 25 scoring offenses – Michigan State (6th – 91.8), Ohio State (7th – 89.1), USC (8th – 87.4), Nebraska (10th – 86.6), Michigan (13th – 85.8), Penn State (19th – 85.1), UCLA (20th – 85.0) and Maryland (21st – 84.5).
• The Big Ten currently leads all Division I conferences in field goal percentage (.464) and assists (17.0 apg), while standing second in scoring (78.0 ppg) and rebounds (41.0 rpg).
• Heading into the fifth week of the season, the Big Ten has faced 15 ranked non-conference opponents. This includes numerous upsets – Oregon def. No. 12 Baylor, 76-74; Illinois def. No. 19 Florida State, 83-74; No. 18 Maryland def. No. 11 Duke, 85-80; Indiana def. No. 24 Stanford, 79-66; No. 5 UCLA def. No. 1 South Carolina, 77-62; Indiana def. No. 18 Baylor, 73-65.
• Graduate student Ajae Petty was named Big Ten Player of the Week after averaging 20.5 points, 10.0 rebounds and 1.5 steals while shooting 76.0 percent from the field for Ohio State. She was the MVP of the Daytona Beach Classic for her efforts and earned the first weekly honor of her career.
• For a second time this season, Michigan’s Syla Swords was tabbed as the Big Ten Freshman of the Week. Swords led the Wolverines to the Fort Myers Tip-Off Shell Division Championship behind 19.0 points and 7.0 rebounds. She was selected as the tournament’s MVP and became the 10th Wolverine in program history to hit at least six three-pointers in a single game with a career-high six triples against Virginia Tech.  
• On Nov. 25, UCLA received 20 first-place votes to overtake South Carolina for the No. 1 spot in the Associated Press (AP) poll. The Bruins handed the Gamecocks their first loss of the season to earn the first No. 1 ranking in program history.
• DOWN GOES NO. 1! In front of a sellout crowd at Pauley Pavilion, No. 5 UCLA took down the defending national champions in No. 1 South Carolina, 77-62, on Nov. 24. The win marked the first victory for the Bruins over a number one ranked opponent in program history and snapped the Gamecocks’ 43-game winning streak. South Carolina hadn’t lost since falling to Iowa in the Final Four of the 2023 NCAA Tournament and it was the first road defeat for the Gamecocks since December 2021.
• Rutgers legend Cappie Pondexter was selected as one of seven inductees into the Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame as a member of the 2025 class. Pondexter, who was inducted into the Rutgers Athletics Hall of Fame in 2016, led the Scarlet Knights to back-to-back BIG EAST Championships in 2005 and 2006. She was the first player to earn All-BIG EAST First Team laurels four times in the history of the league and ranks third in Rutgers history with 2,211 career points. Pondexter was the second overall pick in the 2006 WNBA Draft by the Phoenix Mercury. She went on to win two WNBA titles with the Mercury, be named Finals MVP in 2007, earn seven All-Star appearances and win a gold medal at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing.
• The new era of Big Ten women’s basketball got off to a hot start as programs won more than 87 percent of their games during the first week of the 2024-25 campaign. The stellar results included five wins over AP Top 25 opponents, including three upsets.
• The 2024-25 television schedule features the most coverage on nationally distributed platforms in Big Ten women’s basketball history. Twelve Big Ten matchups, including eight regular season games, will be televised on a broadcast platform via NBC or FOX, the most in conference history. All 162 conference games will be nationally produced or distributed for the 11th consecutive season.
• The 2025 TIAA Big Ten Women’s Basketball Tournament is set for March 5-9 inside Gainbridge Fieldhouse. This will mark the 26th time the tournament has been held in Indianapolis since the event began in 1982. The tournament will be the first to feature a 15-team field. Peacock will televise the opening three games on Wednesday, with second-round, quarterfinal and semifinal games on Thursday, Friday and Saturday slated for the Big Ten Network. CBS will broadcast Sunday’s championship game for the second year in a row.