2026 Big Ten women's basketball tournament
| 2026 Big Ten women's basketball tournament | |
|---|---|
| Classification | Division I |
| Season | 2025–26 |
| Teams | 15 |
| Site | Gainbridge Fieldhouse Indianapolis, Indiana |
| Champions | UCLA (2nd title) |
| Winning coach | Cori Close (2nd title) |
| MVP | Kiki Rice (UCLA) |
| Attendance | 41,835 |
| Television | Peacock/NBCSN, BTN, CBS/Paramount+ |
| Conf. | Overall | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team | W | L | PCT | W | L | PCT | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| No. 2 UCLA † | 18 | – | 0 | 1.000 | 31 | – | 1 | .969 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| No. 7 Iowa | 15 | – | 3 | .833 | 26 | – | 6 | .813 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| No. 9 Michigan | 15 | – | 3 | .833 | 25 | – | 6 | .806 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| No. 18 Minnesota | 13 | – | 5 | .722 | 22 | – | 8 | .733 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| No. 12 Ohio State | 13 | – | 5 | .722 | 26 | – | 7 | .788 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| No. 17 Maryland | 11 | – | 7 | .611 | 23 | – | 8 | .742 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| No. 20 Michigan State | 11 | – | 7 | .611 | 22 | – | 8 | .733 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Washington | 10 | – | 8 | .556 | 21 | – | 10 | .677 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| USC | 9 | – | 9 | .500 | 17 | – | 13 | .567 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Illinois | 9 | – | 9 | .500 | 21 | – | 11 | .656 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Oregon | 8 | – | 10 | .444 | 22 | – | 12 | .647 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Nebraska | 7 | – | 11 | .389 | 19 | – | 12 | .613 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Indiana | 6 | – | 12 | .333 | 18 | – | 14 | .563 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Purdue | 5 | – | 13 | .278 | 13 | – | 17 | .433 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Wisconsin | 5 | – | 13 | .278 | 13 | – | 17 | .433 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Penn State | 4 | – | 14 | .222 | 11 | – | 18 | .379 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Northwestern | 2 | – | 16 | .111 | 8 | – | 21 | .276 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Rutgers | 1 | – | 17 | .056 | 9 | – | 20 | .310 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| † 2026 Big Ten tournament winner As of March 18, 2026 Rankings from AP Poll | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
The 2026 Big Ten women's basketball tournament (branded as the 2026 Allstate Big Ten Women's Basketball Tournament for sponsorship reasons) was a postseason women's basketball tournament for the Big Ten Conference of the 2025–26 NCAA Division I women's basketball season which took place from March 4–8, 2026. The tournament was held at the Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, Indiana.
Following the completion of the 2025–26 Big Ten Conference women's basketball regular season, the bracket was announced on March 1, 2026.[1] The top four seeds were UCLA, Iowa, Michigan, and Minnesota.[1] Penn State, Northwestern, and Rutgers did not participate as the lowest three teams in the standings.[1]
The UCLA Bruins were the tournament winner.[2][3] As the tournament winner, the Bruins received the conference automatic bid to the 2026 NCAA Division I women's basketball tournament.
Seeds
The top 15 Big Ten schools will participate in the tournament. Teams are seeded by conference record, with a tiebreaker system used to seed teams with identical conference records. The top nine teams will receive a first round bye and the top four teams will receive a double bye.[4]
| Seed | School | Conference | Tiebreaker |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | UCLA | 18–0 | |
| 2 | Iowa | 15–3 | 1–0 vs. MICH |
| 3 | Michigan | 15–3 | 0–1 vs IOWA |
| 4 | Minnesota | 13–5 | 1–0 vs. OSU |
| 5 | Ohio State | 13–5 | 0–1 vs. MINN |
| 6 | Maryland | 11–7 | 1–0 vs. MSU |
| 7 | Michigan State | 11–7 | 0–1 vs. MD |
| 8 | Washington | 10–8 | |
| 9 | USC | 9–9 | 1–0 vs. ILL |
| 10 | Illinois | 9–9 | 0–1 vs. USC |
| 11 | Oregon | 8-10 | |
| 12 | Nebraska | 7–11 | |
| 13 | Indiana | 6–12 | |
| 14 | Purdue | 5–13 | 1–0 vs. WIS |
| 15 | Wisconsin | 5–13 | 0–1 vs. PUR |
| DNQ | Penn State | 4–14 | |
| DNQ | Northwestern | 2–16 | |
| DNQ | Rutgers | 1–17 |
Schedule
| Session | Game | Time* | Matchup# | Score | Television | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| First round – Wednesday, March 4 | ||||||
| 1 | 1 | 3:30 p.m. | No. 13 Indiana vs. No. 12 Nebraska | 72–69 | Peacock/NBCSN | 6,587 |
| 2 | 6:00 p.m. | No. 15 Wisconsin vs. No. 10 Illinois | 70–82 | |||
| 3 | 8:30 p.m. | No. 14 Purdue vs. No. 11 Oregon | 64–82 | |||
| Second round – Thursday, March 5 | ||||||
| 2 | 4 | 12:00 p.m. | No. 9 USC vs. No. 8 Washington | 64–76 | BTN | 5,962 |
| 5 | 2:30 p.m. | No. 13 Indiana vs. No. 5 Ohio State | 59–83 | |||
| 3 | 6 | 6:30 p.m. | No. 10 Illinois vs. No. 7 Michigan State | 71–69 | 5,149 | |
| 7 | 9:00 p.m. | No. 11 Oregon vs. No. 6 Maryland | 73–68 | |||
| Quarterfinals – Friday, March 6 | ||||||
| 4 | 8 | 12:00 p.m. | No. 8 Washington vs. No. 1 UCLA | 60–78 | BTN | 5,146 |
| 9 | 2:30 p.m. | No. 5 Ohio State vs. No. 4 Minnesota | 60–55 | |||
| 5 | 10 | 6:30 p.m. | No. 10 Illinois vs. No. 2 Iowa | 58–64 | 6,053 | |
| 11 | 9:00 p.m. | No. 11 Oregon vs. No. 3 Michigan | 58–80 | |||
| Semifinals – Saturday, March 7 | ||||||
| 6 | 12 | 2:00 p.m. | No. 5 Ohio State vs. No. 1 UCLA | 62–72 | BTN | 6,387 |
| 13 | 4:30 p.m. | No. 3 Michigan vs. No. 2 Iowa | 42–59 | |||
| Championship – Sunday, March 8 | ||||||
| 7 | 14 | 2:15 p.m. | No. 2 Iowa vs. No. 1 UCLA | 45–96 | CBS | 6,451 |
*Game times in EST through the semifinals and EDT for the championship. #Rankings denote tournament seeding. [5]
Bracket
| First round[4] Wednesday, March 4 Peacock/NBCSN | Second round Thursday, March 5 BTN | Quarterfinals Friday, March 6 BTN | Semifinals Saturday, March 7 BTN | Championship Sunday, March 8 CBS | |||||||||||||||||||
| 1 | UCLA | 78 | |||||||||||||||||||||
| 8 | Washington | 76 | 8 | Washington | 60 | ||||||||||||||||||
| 9 | USC | 64 | 1 | UCLA | 72 | ||||||||||||||||||
| 5 | Ohio State | 62 | |||||||||||||||||||||
| 4 | Minnesota | 55 | |||||||||||||||||||||
| 5 | Ohio State | 83 | 5 | Ohio State | 60 | ||||||||||||||||||
| 12 | Nebraska | 69 | 13 | Indiana | 59 | 1 | UCLA | 96 | |||||||||||||||
| 13 | Indiana | 72 | 2 | Iowa | 45 | ||||||||||||||||||
| 2 | Iowa | 64 | |||||||||||||||||||||
| 7 | Michigan State | 69 | 10 | Illinois | 58 | ||||||||||||||||||
| 10 | Illinois | 82 | 10 | Illinois | 71 | 2 | Iowa | 59 | |||||||||||||||
| 15 | Wisconsin | 70 | 3 | Michigan | 42 | ||||||||||||||||||
| 3 | Michigan | 80 | |||||||||||||||||||||
| 6 | Maryland | 68 | 11 | Oregon | 58 | ||||||||||||||||||
| 11 | Oregon | 82 | 11 | Oregon | 73 | ||||||||||||||||||
| 14 | Purdue | 64 | |||||||||||||||||||||
* denotes overtime period
Game summaries
First round
Peacock/NBCSN
|
March 4
3:30 p.m. |
| No. 13 Indiana 72, No. 12 Nebraska 69 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 15–29, 13–16, 19–10, 25–14 | ||
| Pts: Shay Ciezki (22) Rebs: Edessa Noyan (10) Asts: Shay Ciezki (7) |
Pts: Amiah Hargrove (23) Rebs: Jessica Petrie (10) Asts: Britt Prince (8) | |
Gainbridge Fieldhouse
Indianapolis, IN Referees: Gina Cross, Cameron Inouye, Chuck Gonzalez |
Peacock/NBCSN
|
March 4
6:00 p.m. |
| No. 15 Wisconsin 70, No. 10 Illinois 82 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 17–23, 16–18, 17–21, 20–20 | ||
| Pts: Gift Uchenna (24) Rebs: Tied (6) Asts: Ronnie Porter (5) |
Pts: Berry Wallace (22) Rebs: Tied (6) Asts: Destiny Jackson (5) | |
Gainbridge Fieldhouse
Indianapolis, IN Referees: Brian Hall, Felicia Grinter, Nykesha Thompson |
Peacock/NBCSN
|
March 4
8:30 p.m. |
| No. 14 Purdue 64, No. 11 Oregon 82 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 12–21, 12–26, 25–17, 15–18 | ||
| Pts: Lana McCarthy (14) Rebs: Lana McCarthy (9) Asts: Nya Smith (4) |
Pts: Katie Fiso (20) Rebs: Ehis Etute (12) Asts: Katie Fiso (4) | |
Gainbridge Fieldhouse
Indianapolis, IN Attendance: 6,587 Referees: Melissa Barlow, Kevin Pethtel, Tim Daley |
Second round
BTN
|
March 5
12:00 p.m. |
| No. 9 USC 64, No. 8 Washington 76 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 6–8, 14–24, 16–24, 28–20 | ||
| Pts: Londynn Jones (19) Rebs: Laura Williams (13) Asts: Tied (3) |
Pts: Elle Ladine (25) Rebs: Yulia Grabovskaia (10) Asts: Tied (4) | |
Gainbridge Fieldhouse
Indianapolis, IN Attendance: 5,962 Referees: Melissa Barlow, Brian Hall, Angie Enlund |
BTN
|
March 5
2:30 p.m. |
| No. 13 Indiana 59, No. 5 Ohio State 83 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 12–12, 12–24, 16–25, 19–22 | ||
| Pts: Maya Makalusky (21) Rebs: Edessa Noyan (11) Asts: Shay Ciezki (5) |
Pts: Jaloni Cambridge (19) Rebs: Elsa Lemmilä (13) Asts: Chance Gray (6) | |
Gainbridge Fieldhouse
Indianapolis, IN Attendance: 5,962 Referees: Felicia Grinter, Nykesha Thompson, Frank Steratore |
BTN
|
March 5
6:30 p.m. |
| No. 10 Illinois 71, No. 7 Michigan State 69 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 20–17, 16–12, 17–19, 18–21 | ||
| Pts: Cearah Parchment (15) Rebs: Tied (6) Asts: Destiny Jackson (6) |
Pts: Kennedy Blair (30) Rebs: Grace VanSlooten (9) Asts: Kennedy Blair (5) | |
Gainbridge Fieldhouse
Indianapolis, IN Attendance: 5,149 Referees: Gina Cross, Kevin Pethtel, Timothy Daley |
BTN
|
March 5
9:00 p.m. |
| No. 11 Oregon 73, No. 6 Maryland 68 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 15–21, 16–11, 21–25, 21–11 | ||
| Pts: Ehis Etute (20) Rebs: Ehis Etute (10) Asts: Katie Fiso (5) |
Pts: Oluchi Okananwa (27) Rebs: Saylor Poffenbarger (6) Asts: Yarden Garzon (6) | |
Gainbridge Fieldhouse
Indianapolis, IN Attendance: 5,149 Referees: Chuck Gonzalez, Cameron Inouye, Bruce Morris |
Quarterfinals
BTN
|
March 6
12:00 p.m. |
| No. 8 Washington 60, No. 1 UCLA 78 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 15–6, 9–21, 17–22, 19–29 | ||
| Pts: Avery Howell (18) Rebs: Elle Ladine (7) Asts: Sayvia Sellers (8) |
Pts: Lauren Betts (26) Rebs: Lauren Betts (8) Asts: Kiki Rice (6) | |
Gainbridge Fieldhouse
Indianapolis, IN Attendance: 5,146 Referees: Julie Krommenhoek, Nykesha Thompson, Tim Daley |
BTN
|
March 6
2:30 p.m. |
| No. 5 Ohio State 60, No. 4 Minnesota 55 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 16–18, 16–10, 15–14, 13–13 | ||
| Pts: Tied (17) Rebs: Elsa Lemmilä (11) Asts: Jaloni Cambridge (6) |
Pts: Grace Grocholski (18) Rebs: Sophie Hart (19) Asts: Mara Braun (6) | |
Gainbridge Fieldhouse
Indianapolis, IN Attendance: 5,146 Referees: Brenda Pantoja, Tiara Cruse, Angie Enlund |
BTN
|
March 6
6:30 p.m. |
| No. 10 Illinois 58, No. 2 Iowa 64 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 11–21, 12–16, 8–16, 27–11 | ||
| Pts: Jasmine Brown-Hagger (22) Rebs: Cearah Parchment (9) Asts: Destiny Jackson (6) |
Pts: Ava Heiden (16) Rebs: Journey Houston (12) Asts: Taylor Stremlow (6) | |
Gainbridge Fieldhouse
Indianapolis, IN Attendance: 6,053 Referees: Maj Forsberg, Cameron Inouye, Maggie Tieman |
BTN
|
March 6
9:00 p.m. |
| No. 11 Oregon 58, No. 3 Michigan 80 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 13–18, 11–15, 19–23, 15–24 | ||
| Pts: Katie Fiso (22) Rebs: Ehis Etute (11) Asts: Katie Fiso (7) |
Pts: Syla Swords (17) Rebs: Syla Swords (8) Asts: Mila Holloway (10) | |
Gainbridge Fieldhouse
Indianapolis, IN Attendance: 6,053 Referees: Melissa Barlow, Natasha Camy, Mark Resch |
Semifinals
BTN
|
March 7
2:00 p.m. |
| No. 5 Ohio State 62, No. 1 UCLA 72 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 10–14, 11–18, 19–20, 22–20 | ||
| Pts: Chance Gray (23) Rebs: Kennedy Cambridge (8) Asts: Elsa Lemmilä (6) |
Pts: Kiki Rice (17) Rebs: Lauren Betts (9) Asts: Charlisse Leger-Walker (6) | |
Gainbridge Fieldhouse
Indianapolis, IN Attendance: 6,387 Referees: Julie Krommenhoek, Maj Forsberg, Felicia Grinter |
BTN
|
March 7
4:30 p.m. |
| No. 3 Michigan 42, No. 2 Iowa 59 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 4–13, 18–15, 14–7, 6–24 | ||
| Pts: Tied (10) Rebs: Tied (6) Asts: Tied (2) |
Pts: Ava Heiden (16) Rebs: Hannah Stuelke (10) Asts: Taylor Stremlow (6) | |
Gainbridge Fieldhouse
Indianapolis, IN Attendance: 6,387 Referees: Michael McConnell, Natasha Camy, Maggie Tieman |
Championship
CBS
|
March 8
2:15 p.m. |
| No. 2 Iowa 46, No. 1 UCLA 95 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 5–22, 15–20, 16–25, 9–29 | ||
| Pts: Ava Heiden (15) Rebs: Tied (4) Asts: Chazadi Wright (5) |
Pts: Gianna Kneepkens (19) Rebs: Tied (7) Asts: Kiki Rice (8) | |
Gainbridge Fieldhouse
Indianapolis, IN Attendance: 6,451 Referees: Gina Cross, Brenda Pantoja, Lisa Jones |
All-Tournament team
- Kiki Rice, UCLA (Most Outstanding Player)
- Lauren Betts, UCLA
- Ava Heiden, Iowa
- Chance Gray, Ohio State
- Hannah Stuelke, Iowa
Tournament Notes
- New tournament records were set in the championship game by the UCLA Bruins in the victory over the Iowa Hawkeyes[2]
- UCLA's 51 points was the largest margin of victory in a Big Ten Tournament Final. The previous record was Iowa’s 33-point victory over Ohio State in the 2023 Big Ten women's basketball tournament.
- The Bruins' shooting percentage of 63.5 percent (40-for-63) from the field was the highest percentage by a team in any Big Ten Tournament game.
- The UCLA Bruins set the record for assists in any Big Ten Tournament game with 34
- The UCLA Bruins tied the record for most steals in the Big Ten Tournament Championship Game with 15.
- The UCLA 51 point margin of victory over number 8 ranked Iowa is the highest of a team over a top ten team in the NCAA era.[6]
- For the second year in a row, a record-tying twelve Big Ten teams were invited to the 2026 NCAA Division I women's basketball tournament: UCLA, Iowa, Michigan, Ohio State, Minnesota, Maryland, Michigan State, Washington, Illinois, Oregon, USC, and Nebraska.[7] Five teams will host first round games.
- Wisconin was invited to the 2026 Women's Basketball Invitation Tournament.[8]
References
- ^ a b c 2026 Allstate Big Ten Women's Basketball Tournament Bracket Announced. Big Ten conference bigten.org, March 1, 2026
- ^ a b UCLA Wins 2026 Allstate Big Ten Women’s Basketball Tournament Crown. bigten.org, March 8, 2026
- ^ Heron, Joshua - Undisputed champs: UCLA women's basketball beats Iowa for consecutive Big Ten Tournament titles. Indianapolis Star, March 8, 2026
- ^ a b "2026 Allstate Big Ten Women's Basketball Tournament Bracket Announced". BigTen.org. March 1, 2026. Retrieved March 1, 2026.
- ^ "2026 Big Ten Women's Basketball Tournament". Indiana Sports Corp. Retrieved October 8, 2024.
- ^ Maloney, Jack - After 51-point rout of Iowa in Big Ten final, can UCLA steal the No. 1 overall seed from undefeated UConn? CBS Sports, March 8, 2026 Article Note, "UCLA has 18 Quad 1 wins, while UConn only has 10"
- ^ Big Ten Conference Ties Record with 12 Programs Headed to the 2026 NCAA Women’s Basketball Tournament. Big Ten conference, bigten.org, March 15, 2026
- ^ Wisconsin Chosen for 2026 WBIT Field. Big Ten Conference bigten.org, March 15, 2026