USC, JuJu Watkins Headline Big Ten Preseason Honors

ROSEMONT, Ill. – In its inaugural year as a member of the Big Ten Conference, USC has been voted as the preseason Big Ten women's basketball favorite by both the league’s 18 head coaches and a select media panel, the conference office announced Thursday. The coaches and media also chose Trojan sophomore guard JuJu Watkins as the 2024-25 Big Ten Preseason Player of the Year.

The coaches and media preseason polls mirrored one another, with UCLA ranked second and Ohio State slated third. Maryland claimed the fourth spot and Indiana rounded out the top five.

Watkins was a unanimous selection for the media’s Preseason All-Big Ten Team. She was joined by her USC teammate Kiki Iriafen, Iowa’s Hannah Stuelke and Lucy Olsen, Maryland’s Shyanne Sellers, Nebraska’s Alexis Markowski, Ohio State’s Cotie McMahon, UCLA’s Lauren Betts and Kiki Rice and Wisconsin’s Serah Williams.

The 10 honorees also earned spots on the coaches Preseason All-Big Ten Team, with the addition of Illinois’ Makira Cook due to a tie in voting. Watkins and Betts were unanimously chosen by the coaches.

Six of the 11 players recognized were all-conference selections a season ago, including four who earned first team honors in Williams, McMahon, Markowski and Sellers. Williams is the lone returner from last season to win an individual award, having been named Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year by the media.

The Big Ten Conference is coming off another successful season that saw a record-tying seven programs selected for the 2024 NCAA Tournament. Iowa advanced to the NCAA Final Four for the third time in program history and became the first Big Ten program to compete in consecutive National Championship games. The 2024 TIAA Big Ten Women's Basketball Tournament saw a total attendance of 129,512 fans, a new tournament record, surpassing the previous mark of 47,923 fans set in 2023. All-session tickets were sold out prior to the start of the event, marking the first sellout in the history of the 31-year tournament. In addition, Big Ten women’s basketball programs set ratings records on seven different networks – BTN, FOX, FS1, NBC, Peacock, ESPN and CBS.

Preseason practices are underway for all 18 Big Ten member institutions, with all Big Ten head coaches and selected student-athletes from each school preparing to make their way to Rosemont, Ill. for the 2024 Big Ten Basketball Media Day on Oct. 2 at the Donald E. Stephens Convention Center. The 2024-25 campaign tips off Nov. 4, while the 32nd Big Ten Conference Women’s Basketball Tournament will take place March 5-9 at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis.

The 2024-25 Preseason All-Big Ten Teams and rankings are as follows:

2024-25 Coaches Big Ten Preseason Rankings

1. USC
2. UCLA
3. Ohio State
4. Maryland
5. Indiana  

2024-25 Coaches Preseason All-Big Ten Team*
Makira Cook, 5th-Yr., G, Illinois
Hannah Stuelke, Jr., F, Iowa
Lucy Olsen, Gr., G, Iowa
Shyanne Sellers, Sr., G, Maryland
Alexis Markowski, Sr., C/F, Nebraska
Cotie McMahon, Jr., F, Ohio State
LAUREN BETTS, JR., C, UCLA
Kiki Rice, Jr., G, UCLA
JUJU WATKINS, SO., G, USC
Kiki Iriafen, Gr., F, USC
Serah Williams, Jr., F, Wisconsin

*Additional player due to tie in voting

2024-25 Coaches Preseason Player of the Year
JUJU WATKINS, SO., G, USC

2024-25 Media Big Ten Preseason Rankings

1. USC
2. UCLA
3. Ohio State
4. Maryland
5. Indiana

2024-25 Media Preseason All-Big Ten Team
Hannah Stuelke, Jr., F, Iowa
Lucy Olsen, Gr., G, Iowa
Shyanne Sellers, Sr., G, Maryland
Alexis Markowski, Sr., C/F, Nebraska
Cotie McMahon, Jr., F, Ohio State
Lauren Betts, Jr., C, UCLA
Kiki Rice, Jr., G, UCLA
JUJU WATKINS, SO., G, USC
Kiki Iriafen, Gr., F, USC
Serah Williams, Jr., F, Wisconsin

2024-25 Media Preseason Player of the Year
JuJu Watkins, So., G, USC

Unanimous selections listed in ALL CAPS