The Ball-Knower's NCAA Season Preview: The Big Ten
The Big Ten will be one of the best women's basketball conferences in the nation this year but is there anyone that can challenge UCLA for the crown?
With the NCAA Women’s Basketball season right around the corner, No Cap Space WBB is here to preview every end of the country. We started with a general mid-major preview then dove into the power conferences (Big East, ACC Big 12, SEC and Big Ten), priming you for one of the most anticipated women’s basketball seasons in recent memory.
Our preview journey is almost reaching its end with just two conferences left to profile. The Big Ten and the SEC are, in essence, the two mega leagues driving most of the changes and directions of collegiate athletics and, in women’s basketball, the dynamic is no different. There’s at least one NCAA title contender coming out of the B1G this year and plenty more teams with star power, solid coaches and great fanbases. Let’s take a look!
In case you missed it…
The Teams You Know:
Iowa
2025 Record & Result: 23-11 (10-8 Big Ten) NCAA Second Round
Jan Jensen did a pretty solid job of keeping the Hawkeyes stable after the departure of Caitlin Clark and the retirement of Lisa Bluder. Villanova transfer Lucy Olsen was a solid stopgap guard and is now playing for the Washington Mystics in the WNBA. But there’s still plenty of talent to be excited about.
Hannah Stuelke feels primed for a real breakout year. Earlier in the summer at Team USA FIBA Americup trials, multiple players singled her out as someone they were really surprised by. She’ll be joined by Georgia Tech transfer Chit Chat Wright (one of the best NCAA WBB names this year) and freshman Addie Deal, who may be the next great Hawkeye guard.
Ohio State
2025 Record & Result: 26-7 (13-5 Big Ten) NCAA Second Round
Take away the elephant in the room and Ohio State still seems in a state of unease going into this season. Kevin McGuff is reported to be changing his plea from not guilty on his November 4th court date, appearing for a May 6th arrest in which he was charged with operating a vehicle while impaired. For his part, McGuff was suspended for two weeks during the offseason and admitted to making a “terrible mistake” when addressing the press a couple months ago.
Programs can tell you that this kind of stuff doesn’t affect things but it will, on some level. But even past that, there’s just a lot of question marks around Ohio State in a way there haven’t seemed to be in recent years. The backcourt tandem of Chance Gray and Jaloni Cambridge is going to be extremely fun (Cambridge, mind you, deserves way more press). Around them, there’s a lot of questions. Can Kylee Kitts (sister of South Carolina star Chloe Kitts) be the wing replacement for Cotie McMahon? Can Elsa Lemmila be another star center in Columbus? There’s a lot of variance here so I’m rooting for a good outcome on a number of fronts.
USC
2025 Record & Result: 31-4 (17-1 Big Ten) NCAA Elite Eight
This is going to be a bit of a different year for USC with JuJu Watkins out. The reigning AP Player of the Year blew out her knee in the second round of the NCAA Tournament and will not be suiting up this year. So much of this team and scheme is focused around Watkins as equal parts point guard and supercomputer. In terms of one player being the central fulcrum of a possession from start to finish, USC can look like the Phoenix Mercury with JuJu Watkins playing a similar role to Alyssa Thomas.
What do you do when that player is no longer available? Lindsay Gottlieb is about to find out and will have a chance to flex her coaching chops. It does help, mind you, that top recruit Jazzy Davidson is ready to step into a star role. Former Georgia Tech star Kara Dunn also brings a calming veteran backcourt presence while Kennedy Smith brings a near-unparalleled defensive ability. Figuring out the frontcourt will be the big question for USC, aside from how well they’ll run with Watkins on the sideline this year.
UCLA
2025 Record & Result: 34-3 (16-2 Big Ten) NCAA Final Four
Cori Close finally got over the hump and made the Final Four for the first time in her coaching career. There, the Bruins ran into a UConn buzzsaw that basically vaporized their opponents en route to an NCAA title. But sometimes a blowout loss like that can be a formative lesson on what it takes to win a championship.
It’s that mental edge that will be the difference for UCLA this year because, on paper, they’re the most loaded roster in college basketball. Lauren Betts and Kiki Rice are back, Utah superstar Gianna Kneepkens transferred in and former All-Pac-12 guard Charlisse Leger-Walker is back from an injury that sidelined her for all of last year. And that’s just the headliners. Timea Gardiner, Angela Dugalic and Gabriela Jaquez all return. Sienna Betts may not be fully healthy yet but she’s going to be box office when she debuts and keep an eye on Lena Bilic, the other impressive freshman forward.
The Teams to Watch:
Illinois -
2025 Record & Result: 22-10 (11-7 Big Ten) NCAA Second Round
Shauna Green has set a solid standard at Illinois, winning a WBIT and making two NCAA Tournaments in her three years so far. While she loses a trio of seniors that helped lead the Illini, there’s some intriguing pieces here that can keep the train moving. Freshman forward Manuella Alves is another player in the growing Brazilian women’s basketball revival and should be an immediate contributor. Villanova transfer Maddie Webber will also add some pedigree (All-Big East 2nd Teamer last year) along with Iowa guard Aaliyah Guyton.
Indiana -
2025 Record & Result: 20-13 (10-8 Big Ten) NCAA Second Round
The Hoosiers have started to graduate out the last out of their key pieces from their 2023 and 2024 seasons, with Yarden Garzon transferring to Maryland and Sydney Parrish graduating. But Teri Moren has some interesting pieces here and a ton of youth. UCLA transfer Zania Socka-Nguemen could flourish along with former Alabama guard Chloe Spreen.
Maryland
2025 Record & Result: 25-8 (13-5 Big Ten) NCAA Sweet Sixteen
Arguably the most interesting team in the Big Ten this year, Brenda Frese loaded up on the heels of a resurgent Sweet Sixteen run. Duke transfer Oluchi Okananwa and former Indiana Hoosier Yarden Garzon headline the class that joins returning leading scorer Kaylene Smikle and leading rebounder Saylor Poffenbarger. If there’s anyone to watch as a dark horse Big Ten title pick, it’s the Terps this year.
Michigan -
2025 Record & Result: 23-11 (11-7 Big Ten) NCAA Second Round
Last year, Michigan’s problems were abundantly clear. They had a backcourt of the future and not enough bigs to help them. So what does Kim Barnes Arico do? She goes and gets the Patriot League Player of the Year, 6’3 forward Ashley Solfikanich, to help out Syla Swords, Olivia Olsen and Mia Holloway. Keep an eye on UCLA transfer Kendall Dudley, who brings good length and versatility.
Michigan State -
2025 Record & Result: 22-10 (11-7 Big Ten) NCAA Second Round
Robyn Fralick is continuing to build a winner in East Lansing, making a second straight NCAA Tournament and advancing to the second round this time. With Theryn Hallock and Grace VanSlooten back, there’s a core that is being augmented with some great Ball-Knower type transfers. Arizona State leading scorer Jalyn Brown is going to turn heads early while Montana State transfer Marah Dykstra was one of the best players in the Big Sky last year.
Minnesota -
2025 Record & Result: 25-11 (8-10 Big Ten) WBIT Champions
The Golden Gophers have been undercut by injuries for the last couple of seasons but have still stayed competitive under Dawn Plitzuweit. The reigning WBIT champions return nearly everyone and get a (fingers crossed!) healthy Mara Braun this year. If Minnesota can stay upright they may be someone to watch as a surprise Sweet Sixteen caliber team.
Nebraska -
2025 Record & Result: 21-12 (10-8 Big Ten) NCAA First Round
There’s no more Alexis Markowski but, thankfully, Natalie Potts is set to return after a knee injury sidelined her all of last season. Britt Prince and Logan Nissley return while head coach Amy Williams scored a nice transfer portal win in 6’3 Kansas State forward Eliza Maupin, who will likely slot into Markowski’s role.
Oregon -
2025 Record & Result: 20-12 (10-8 Big Ten) NCAA Second Round
After a couple down years and a mass exodus of players, Oregon returned to the NCAA Tournament in 2025 and was one of the only power conference programs to have no one enter the portal. What a difference a couple years makes. Sarah Rambus and Katie Fiso are the PNW products that will be a lot of fun to watch but get familiar with the name Mia Jacobs now. The former Fresno State centerpiece transferred to Eugene this offseason and will play a big role for Oregon this season.
Washington -
2025 Record & Result: 19-14 (9-9 Big Ten) NCAA First Four
Tina Langley’s four year rebuild resulted in an NCAA Tournament berth and a couple of key gets in the transfer portal. Not only are the Huskies returning their biggest stars (Sayvia Sellers, Hannah Stines and Elle Ladine) but they also acquired former USC guard Avery Howell and Michigan center Yulia Grabovskaia. Keep an eye on 6’3 freshman Daniella McLean, who has a pretty interesting recruiting backstory.
The Rest of the Field:
Northwestern -
2025 Record & Result: 9-18 (2-16 Big Ten)
This will be Joe McKeown’s last go-round in Northwestern so I’m curious if we get a ‘win one for the gipper’ type season in Evanston. It’s been a hard slog for the formerly legendary George Washington head coach but I’d like to think maybe we get one last run here.
Penn State -
2025 Record & Result: 10-19 (1-17 Big Ten)
Carolyn Kieger quietly survived a couple of toxic locker room allegation stories early last season while going 1-17 in conference play so it maybe shouldn’t have been a surprise that she loaded up in the portal to try and stabilize the ship. She managed to flip Gracie Merkle away from Bellarmine while pulling Tea Cleante from French pro club ASVEL Lyon. Oh, and Kiyomi McMiller is here now too. There’s a lot of outcomes in Happy Valley this season and all of them feel potentially dramatic.
Purdue -
2025 Record & Result: 10-19 (3-15 Big Ten)
Katie Gearlds has managed to put together NCAA Tournament caliber teams in East Lafayette but this roster will likely be a coach up job. There’s some mid-major players jumping up a level that could rise to the moment but this may be a tough season.
Rutgers -
2025 Record & Result: 13-20 (3-15 Big Ten) WNIT Great 8
I have to give it to Coquese Washington. So much of last year was drowned in the maelstrom of Kiyomi McMiller and the people in her orbit. But Rutgers decided they’d still play in a postseason tournament and made the WNIT quarterfinals. We’ll see how much that helped rebuild the culture but we’re likely to find out in a hurry.
Wisconsin -
2025 Record & Result: 13-17 (4-14 Big Ten)
The Badgers offloaded head coach Marisa Moseley and brought in fired Missouri head coach Robin Pingeton. Star forward Serah Williams transferred to UConn so I think it’s fair to say this is effectively a ‘year zero’ situation.
The Five Best Players You May Know:
Lauren Betts - UCLA
One of the three players projected to be the number one choice in the 2026 WNBA Draft, Betts has a lot to prove this year. She’s an elite post scorer and defender but is there a little more range and versatility to her game? Consider this year a chance to showcase that.
Hannah Stuelke - Iowa
Stuelke made her bones as essentially a streaking wide receiver on the other end of full-court Caitlin Clark dimes. Now, she’s going to be a centerpiece star of a new-new look Iowa team. Don’t be surprised if there’s a lot more to her game.
Jazzy Davidson - USC
A dynamic scorer and elite recruit, Davidson will be expected to take the role of JuJu Watkins this year. While those are lofty expectations, Davidson has proven at all levels that she welcomes the challenge.
Syla Swords - Michigan
One of the next faces of Canadian women’s basketball, Swords was one of the most underappreciated stars of last season. With a legit frontcourt option to play off of this year, Swords could take a leap.
Gianna Kneepkens - UCLA
In my opinion, one of the most consequential transfers of this past cycle. Kneepkens is, at her peak, one of the best guards in the nation but will be asked to improve her handle and defensive ability at the next level. If she can refine those with UCLA this year, they’ll be extraordinarily tough to beat come March.
The Five Best Players You Need to Know:
Kiyomi McMiller - Penn State
‘The Product’ gave us one of the messiest sagas in women’s college basketball last season and was rumored to have scared some schools off in the portal despite her remarkable talent. Now she’s got a chance to prove some things at Penn State.
Oluchi Okananwa - Maryland
The breakout star of Duke’s Elite Eight run, Okananwa now gets the opportunity to play for a more free-flowing offense in Maryland. In a lot of ways, she’s Brenda Frese’s ideal player and reminds me a little of Diamond Miller.
Jaloni Cambridge - Ohio State
Cambridge still remains one of the most underrated and underdiscussed guards in the country. I’m not sure what Ohio State will give us this year but make sure to prioritize a couple of games this year to watch her.
Grace VanSlooten - Michigan State
VanSlooten, when all is right, feels like a young Satou Sabally (and was recruited to grow into that type of player when she first went to Oregon). Each year, the Michigan State forward improves and has gotten some Team USA reps under her belt now. Don’t be surprised if she rockets up draft boards.
Avery Howell - Washington
One of the smoothest shooters in the conference, Howell gets the chance to take the reins of an offense and be a little more than a spot-up guard. In a lot of ways, she’s exactly what Washington needs and provides some key depth to help the tandem of Sellers and Stines.