Women's Basketball

Big Ten Weekly Women's Basketball Central - Nov. 10-16

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Big Ten Weekly Release - Nov. 10

Big Ten. Big News.

  • B1G HISTORY. On Nov. 9, the Big Ten set a conference record and became just the second league in the 51-year history of the Associated Press poll to have 10 teams ranked. The Big Ten’s previous record was nine teams, which was first achieved on Dec. 2, 2024.
  • A trio of top-25 showdowns are slated for the second week of the 2026-27 season. No. 17 Ohio State will be the third Big Ten team to challenge No. 4 UConn on Thursday with tipoff set for 6:30 p.m. ET on FS1. The Real SC battle is headed to Greenville, S.C., on Sunday as No. 3 USC faces No. 1 South Carolina at 1 p.m. ET on ABC. No. 10 Iowa will meet No. 8 Vanderbilt at 1 p.m. ET Sunday on FS1.
  • The Big Ten had 10 teams earn rankings in the Associated Press (AP) poll this week. Michigan led the contingent at No. 2, its highest ranking ever, followed by No. 3 USC, No. 10 Iowa, No. 10 UCLA, No. 16 Washington, No. 17 Ohio State, No. 18 Minnesota, No. 19 Maryland, No. 22 Illinois and No. 25 Nebraska. Michigan State received votes.
  • The same group was featured in the Women’s Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA)/USA Today poll with No. 2 Michigan, No. 3 USC, No. 12 UCLA, No. 13 Iowa, No. 16 Washington, No. 17 Minnesota, No. 18 Maryland, No. 19 Ohio State, No. 21 Illinois and No. 25 Nebraska. Michigan State and Oregon earned votes.
  • After missing last season due to injury, USC senior JuJu Watkins picked up where she left off and has been named the AP National Player of the Week for her efforts. Watkins opened the year with 21 points, five rebounds, two assists, two steals and one block in 25 turnover-free minutes against UNLV. She delivered a career-high 16 rebounds, 32 points, six assists, five steals and a block in USC’s win over Utah State.
  • Watkins, Michigan’s Te’Yala Delfosse and Rutgers’ Mia Pauldo were tabbed as three of five Ann Meyers Drysdale National Players of the Week by the U.S. Basketball Writers Association (USBWA) on Tuesday. Delfosse scored a career-high 22 points and nine rebounds against UConn. She followed up with 11 points, five rebounds, four blocks and three steals versus Wright State. Pauldo averaged 25.3 points, 6.0 assists and 5.0 rebounds in Rutgers’ 3-0 start to the season. She netted a career-high 33 points against Indiana State and tied Rutgers’ Jersey Mike’s Arena record after going 16-for-17 at the free throw line. Watkins and Delfosse were also the Big Ten’s Co-Players of the Week.
  • USC’s Saniyah Hall earned her first Big Ten Freshman of the Week laurel on Monday. She put up 22 points, seven rebounds, two blocks and two steals in her collegiate debut against UNLV. The Lorain, Ohio, native notched 20 points, five rebounds, three assists and two blocks versus Utah State.
  • UPSET ALERT! Michigan took down No. 2 UConn, 77-66, in its season opener for the highest-ranked win in program history and first top-five victory since 2022.
  • Three new faces are on the sideline for Big Ten squads. Northwestern named Carla Berube as its head coach after she spent seven years at Princeton, where she led the Tigers to 147 wins, five Ivy League championships and five NCAA Tournament appearances.
  • Penn State welcomed back four-year letterwinner Tanisha Wright as the seventh head coach of the Lady Lion basketball program. Wright returns to Happy Valley following a five-year stint coaching in the WNBA, including three seasons as the head coach for the Atlanta Dream. This will be the first NCAA head coaching role for the 19-year WNBA veteran.
  • Rutgers hired Gary Redus II to lead the Scarlet Knights’ women’s basketball program. Redus is stepping into his first head coaching position after serving as an assistant coach at LSU for four seasons, which included the program’s first national championship in 2023.
  • Each Big Ten institution will play an 18-game conference schedule for the eighth time in nine seasons. The conference season tips on Saturday, Dec. 5 with five games. Six teams open play on Sunday, Dec. 6 before Michigan visits Maryland on Friday, Dec. 11 to close out the first week of league action. 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 Big Ten is looking to build on the success of the 2025-26 season, which culminated in UCLA winning its first-ever NCAA Championship after defeating South Carolina, 79-51. The Bruins, who brought home the Big Ten’s first national championship since 1999, also hoisted the conference’s regular season and tournament trophies last season.
  • The 2027 Allstate Big Ten Women’s Basketball Tournament is set for March 3-7 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. Fifteen teams will qualify for the tournament, with three first-round games slated for Wednesday, March 3 on Peacock. The second-round, quarterfinal and semifinal contests on Thursday, Friday and Saturday will be carried on Big Ten Network. CBS will broadcast the championship game for the fourth year in a row on Sunday.