WOMEN’S BASKETBALL
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Big Ten CommunicationsPublished: 1/2/2024, Last updated: 3/15/2024
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Big Ten Weekly Women's Basketball Central - Jan. 2-5

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BIG TEN WOMEN'S BASKETBALL  |  BIG TEN STANDINGS  |  BIG TEN SCHEDULE & RESULTS

2023-24 BIG TEN STATISTICS (XML)  |  2023-24 BIG TEN STATISTICS (PDF) |  2023-24 BIG TEN MEDIA GUIDE

NCAA STATISTICS  |  NATIONAL TOP 25 POLLS (JAN. 1-2)

BIG TEN WEEKLY RELEASE - JAN. 2

  • The Big Ten Conference is kicking off 2024 with 11 games over the next six days, including five matchups on the Big Ten Network (and the FOX Sports App). Action begins on Tuesday with RV/NR Michigan State visiting No. 4/3 Iowa at 9 p.m. ET on Peacock, the first-ever Big Ten women’s basketball game to be carried on the platform. BTN will host a doubleheader on Thursday with RV Michigan at No. 14 Indiana (7 p.m. ET) and Nebraska at Wisconsin (9 p.m. ET). No. 4/3 Iowa heads to Rutgers on Friday (6 p.m. ET on BTN) and Purdue challenges Maryland on Saturday (4:30 p.m. ET on BTN). Nebraska welcomes No. 14 Indiana on Sunday (2 p.m. ET on BTN) to wrap up the television schedule. This week’s remaining games will be streamed live on B1G+ (visit bigtenplus.com for more information).

  • Michigan earned its first win over a Top 25 opponent this season when it handed No. 17/13 Ohio State its first conference loss, 69-60, on Saturday in front of a season-high 8,078 fans inside the Crisler Center. It was the first victory for the Wolverines over the Buckeyes since Jan. 27, 2022.

  • Caitlin Clark handed out 10 assists against Minnesota to become the Big Ten’s and Iowa’s all-time assist leader (904), eclipsing Sam Prahalis (OSU, 2009-12) for the top spot in the conference record book. She had her 49th career double-double to break into the Top 10 of the Big Ten’s all-time list. Clark is the first Division I player to record 3,000+ points, 900+ assists and 800+ rebounds in a career, is the NCAA’s fifth all-time leading scorer and the all-time leading scorer in the state of Iowa in Division I college basketball history.

  • Nebraska earned its first-ever home victory over Maryland, 87-81, on Sunday. It was just the second win for the Huskers in the 18-game all-time series with the Terrapins.

  • 11,600 fans were on hand to watch Indiana defeat Illinois, 77-71, the largest crowd this season for the Hoosiers and fifth-highest attended game in school history.

  • Purdue notched its largest Big Ten win since the 2016-17 season with an 89-50 triumph over Wisconsin. The Boilermakers extended their home winning streak to nine games, the longest stretch for the program since 12 straight between the 2005-06 and 2006-07 campaigns.

  • The Big Ten leads all Division I conferences with a remarkable nine schools among the top 40 in the latest NET rankings (including four in the top 20, second behind the Pac-12) – No. 6 Iowa, No. 14 Michigan State, No. 17 Ohio State, No. 18 Indiana, No. 27 Nebraska, No. 34 Penn State, No. 36 Michigan, No. 37 Minnesota and No. 38 Maryland. The NCAA Evaluation Tool (NET) is the primary sorting tool used by the NCAA Division I Women’s Basketball Committee for determining NCAA Tournament teams.

  • The Big Ten has five teams making an appearance in this week’s Associated Press (AP) Top 25 poll. In the latest media survey, Iowa remains at No. 4, Indiana moved up two spots to 14th and Ohio State dropped to No. 20. Michigan State and Michigan are receiving votes. 

  • The Big Ten has four programs in the Women’s Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA)/USA Today Top 25 poll. Iowa checks in at No. 3, Indiana is up to 14th, Ohio State falls to No. 18 and Michigan is receiving votes.

  • Offensive production continues to be the story for the Big Ten Conference as 10 different schools (Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Maryland, Michigan, Michigan State, Minnesota, Nebraska, Ohio State and Penn State) have scored 100 points in at least one game this season. Six Big Ten teams are averaging more than 80 points per game and four of the national top 25 scoring offenses reside in the Big Ten, led by Michigan State (3rd – 92.5), Iowa (7th – 90.8), Penn State (10th – 88.2), Maryland (25th – 81.6), Ohio State (28th – 80.9) and Indiana (29th – 80.6).

  • As of Tuesday, the Big Ten features some of the best shooting teams in the country with four programs among the top 20, including three in the top 10, in field goal percentage, according to the latest NCAA statistical report. Penn State paces the conference (4th – .514), followed by Iowa (5th – .513), Indiana (6th – .511) and Michigan State (12th – .495). Penn State is also efficient from beyond the arc, leading the country with a 42.1 three-point percentage.

  • Big Ten teams have been passing the rock quite well this season as five programs rank in the top 30 in the country in assists, led by Michigan State (4th – 21.2), Iowa (T12th – 20.0), Indiana (T12th – 20.0), Northwestern (21st – 19.0) and Penn State (23rd – 18.5). A pair of Big Ten players rank among the top 20 nationally in assists – Iowa’s Caitlin Clark (4th – 7.6 apg) and Northwestern’s Caroline Lau (13th – 6.4 apg).

  • Individually, Caitlin Clark (IOWA) leads the country in points (432), points per game (30.9) and assists (106). Serah Williams (WIS) and Julia Ayrault (MSU) are seventh (2.90) and 13th (2.54), respectively, in blocks per game. Kendall Bostic (ILL) is shooting 66.7 percent from the field to rank seventh in field goal percentage, followed by Mackenzie Holmes (IND) with a 66.2 clip to stand ninth and Hannah Stuelke (IOWA) at 66 percent to rank 10th. Mara Braun (MINN) has the best free throw percentage (95.3) in the nation.

  • The Big Ten has consistently ranked among the top three conferences in women’s basketball attendance for the past three decades and that trend has continued into the 2023-24 season. Currently, 11 Big Ten schools rank among the top 50 in the nation in average attendance, including seven in the top 25, with both figures leading all Division I conferences. Iowa is second nationally in attendance (14,998 fans per game), followed by Indiana (6th – 9,010), Maryland (10th – 6,871), Ohio State (13th – 5,482), Nebraska (14th – 5,412), Purdue (19th – 5,049) and Wisconsin (25th – 4,776).

  • No. 16/13 Ohio State claimed a landmark non-conference 78-58 win at No. 20/22 Tennessee. It was just the second time in Tennessee’s history that the Lady Vols have lost in Thompson-Boling Arena by at least 20 points. Ohio State is only the second Big Ten Conference program to defeat Tennessee in Knoxville, joining Indiana. It was the first time in conference history that the Big Ten has posted multiple wins over Tennessee in back-to-back years – Ohio State and Indiana both claimed victories over the Lady Vols during the 2022-23 season – and has won five of its last six matchups with Tennessee.

  • No. 21/19 Indiana secured an impressive non-conference 71-57 victory over No. 19/21 Tennessee on Nov. 23. It was the second time in as many years that the Hoosiers have bested the Lady Vols and the largest margin of victory (14) in the four-game all-time series. Last year’s Hoosier win was the first time a Big Ten Conference school defeated Tennessee in Thompson-Boling Arena. The matchup scored 1,118,000 viewers to rank as FOX’s most-watched women’s college basketball game ever and the most watched regular season women’s college basketball game on any network since last season’s 1,466,000 viewers for LSU vs. South Carolina on ESPN.