The most watched conference in Women’s College Basketball brings its tournament to the Target Center in beautiful Minneapolis, Minnesota for a weekend that is sure to bring sold out crowds.
A main driver of those likely sold out crowds is Caitlin Clark, college basketball’s most recognizable face on both the men’s and women’s side. She’ll come back to the state where she dropped a 30-point triple double just a week and a half prior, as her Hawkeyes will look to win their third straight Big Ten Tournament title. Iowa defeated Ohio State in last year’s tournament and Indiana the year prior to that. Iowa has been the No. 2 seed three straight years.
The conference is projected to have seven teams in the NCAA Tournament field according to bracketologist Charlie Creme. Penn State is an eighth team that is currently out, but could make their way to the Dance with a successful weekend.
If you want to expand your knowledge of Big Ten women’s basketball past Clark, read this tournament preview, and you’ll be all set.
The Favorites
Ohio State: The top overall seed in the tournament field goes to Kevin McGuff’s squad. The Buckeyes capped off their amazing season by clinching the Big Ten regular season crown with a win over Michigan last week.
Ohio State had won 15 in a row before losing its last game of the season against Iowa. The Buckeyes had wrapped up the title, however, so there is not much cause for concern with the loss in Iowa City.
Jacy Sheldon leads the team in scoring and has been a consistent go-to player all year long. Star defensive guard Celeste Taylor could be the most important piece in this tournament because of her ability to take away the opposing team’s best player.
This is by far McGuff’s best Ohio State team. It made the Elite Eight last year and the Sweet Sixteen the year before that. However, the Buckeyes’ championship aspirations haven’t been this real in a long time, and the pursuit for their first national title starts this weekend.
Iowa: Did you think they wouldn’t be a favorite? Looking to win their third straight Big Ten championship, Iowa is coming in as confident as you can be.
Clark alone makes this team NCAA title contenders and Big Ten title favorites, but there are a handful of questions compared to last year’s Hawkeyes squad. Monika Czinano is gone, and that left a sizable hole to fill.
Hannah Stuelke is averaging 14 points and seven rebounds per game, respectively. Those are solid enough numbers, but her impact is nowhere near the level of Czinano.
Kate Martin is a decent second creator behind Clark, averaging 14 points per game as well. Molly Davis and Gabbie Marshall don’t score a ton, but they can hit threes in bunches, causing perimeter threats for any team Iowa plays.
Clark is the G.O.A.T. and the all-time NCAA leading scorer, but can she get it done for the third straight year?
Indiana: I LOVE Indiana. Five players averaging double-figures in scoring? Check. Three players shooting over 40 percent from three? Check. A legendary coach who hasn’t had less than 20 wins in a season since Barack Obama was president? CHECK.
The Hoosiers beat Iowa not too long ago in blowout fashion at home. \ However, before that awesome game, there was a terrible 20-point loss to Illinois, a middle-of-the-pack squad.
Mackenzie Holmes might be this tournament’s second-best player, averaging 20 points per game and seven rebounds as well. However, it is the guard play of this team that I love more than any team in the field.
Sara Scalia is coming back to her home state this weekend after being a consistent scorer all over the court this season. Yarden Garzon is shooting 45 percent from three this year and can be almost unstoppable when she gets hot. Chloe Moore-McNeil is a calm, reliable guard than any coach would love to have in March, also averaging over double-figures in scoring.
This team has almost no depth, as there are only six players to trust on the court in big moments. That doesn’t necessarily matter at this point in the year, however, because the rotation gets tighter during March anyways.
Basically, Indiana versus Iowa on Saturday night at the Target Center is going to be must watch television.
The Contenders
Michigan State: This is a tough team to evaluate. I like them a lot more than the team below them, but not as much as Indiana. The Spartans also have five players averaging double-digit points and actually have some depth as well.
Moira Joiner and Julia Ayrault are a dynamic duo that could be the key to a deep NCAA tournament run. Another plus for Michigan State is their path. Barring a major upset, the Spartans will play Nebraska in the quarterfinals on Friday. A win there matches them up with Ohio State.
Michigan State can score with anyone, as they put up 91 points against Indiana a month ago. However, pretty much anyone can score on them, as they happened to give up 94 points in that same game against Indiana.
I like offensive-minded teams in conference tournaments, but not so much in the NCAA Tournament.
Nebraska: Thank goodness this tournament is not being played in Nebraska, as the ‘Huskers’ home-court advantage is extreme.
Nebraska was 13-3 at home this season with one of those victories coming against Iowa. The ‘Huskers are coming off a road loss to Illinois, however, so their confidence could be a little shaky.
Talking about teams with depth, Nebraska can go 10-deep if they choose. 10 different players have appeared in over 25 games this year, with Annika Stewart playing in 20 games. Alexis Markowski is the star for this team, averaging 16 points and 11 rebounds per game.
The ‘Huskers can easily get by the No. 12/13-seeded team before taking on Michigan State. That should be the game of the day on Friday.
Need Some March Magic
Michigan: Michigan was ranked at one point for me this season, and there is a clear reason for that: tenacity. Despite only having two players averaging double-figures in scoring this season, the Wolverines have found their way on the right side of the bubble with some tenacity.
Michigan, much like their in-state rival, struggles on defense. That will be fine against Minnesota or Rutgers in their first matchup, but when they go up against Indiana, the defense has to be better.
Mizzou transfer Lauren Hansen has been known to make big shots, but also can easily miss bunny shots as well. Laila Phelia is what makes this team go, and if she has a big tournament, Michigan has the potential to make a run.
Penn State: Penn State missed a golden opportunity to solidify themselves on the right side of the bubble not too long ago, losing to Ohio State at home. It bounced back in a big way, taking down Purdue on the road and dismantling Minnesota by 54 points at home. Those were not impressive wins, but ones they could not afford to lose.
Before those two wins, the Nittany Lions had lost six games in a row. This team has competed in almost every game this season, and definitely should not be on the bubble right now. A massive week is ahead for Minnesota native Carolyn Kieger. This is her best season BY FAR as the coach for Penn State, and they need some clutch wins to get in the tournament.
Ashley Owusu is one of five players averaging double-figures in scoring, leading the team with 18 points per game. Owusu has missed games this year due to injury, but she is back and ready to go for the stretch run. Leilani Kapinus has stepped up in a big way and can definitely score in bunches.
At the end of the day, Penn State will have to defeat Wisconsin in the first round to even give themselves a chance at the tournament, which they should. However it will be Iowa in their way the next round, a chance at a marquee win at the perfect time of the year.
PREDICTION
Predicting conference tournaments is so difficult. I tend to lean offense over anything because you play so many games in so few days that, if you get hot, you stay hot. Fortunately for this conference, there is A TON of offense.
My head is saying to pick Ohio State because they have had the better season and their path is easier. However, I just can’t pick against Caitlin Clark. This will feel like a home tournament for Iowa, their fans travel so well. I like them over the Buckeyes in the title game.
THE PICK: IOWA