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.
| 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. 1 UCLA † | 18 | – | 0 | 1.000 | 37 | – | 1 | .974 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| No. 7 Michigan | 15 | – | 3 | .833 | 28 | – | 7 | .800 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| No. 16 Iowa | 15 | – | 3 | .833 | 27 | – | 7 | .794 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| No. 17 Ohio State | 13 | – | 5 | .722 | 27 | – | 8 | .771 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| No. 15 Minnesota | 13 | – | 5 | .722 | 24 | – | 9 | .727 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| No. 20 Maryland | 11 | – | 7 | .611 | 24 | – | 9 | .727 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| No. 22 Michigan State | 11 | – | 7 | .611 | 23 | – | 9 | .719 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| No. 25 Washington | 10 | – | 8 | .556 | 22 | – | 11 | .667 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| USC | 9 | – | 9 | .500 | 18 | – | 14 | .563 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Illinois | 9 | – | 9 | .500 | 22 | – | 12 | .647 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Oregon | 8 | – | 10 | .444 | 23 | – | 13 | .639 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Nebraska | 7 | – | 11 | .389 | 19 | – | 13 | .594 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Indiana | 6 | – | 12 | .333 | 18 | – | 14 | .563 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Purdue | 5 | – | 13 | .278 | 13 | – | 17 | .433 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Wisconsin | 5 | – | 13 | .278 | 16 | – | 18 | .471 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 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 Rankings from AP poll | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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
editThe top 15 Big Ten schools participated in the tournament. Teams were seeded by conference record, with a tiebreaker system used to seed teams with identical conference records. The top nine teams received a first round bye and the top four teams received 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
edit| 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
edit| 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
editFirst round
editPeacock/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
editBTN |
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
editBTN |
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
editBTN |
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
editCBS |
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
edit- Kiki Rice, UCLA (Most Outstanding Player)
- Lauren Betts, UCLA
- Ava Heiden, Iowa
- Chance Gray, Ohio State
- Hannah Stuelke, Iowa
Tournament notes
edit- 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 hosted first-round games. UCLA, Minnesota, and Michigan would advance to the Sweet Sixteen. UCLA defeated Minnesota to advance to the Elite Eight. The Bruins would win the 2026 NCAA Division I women's basketball championship game, defeating South Carolina.
- Wisconsin was invited to the 2026 Women's Basketball Invitation Tournament.[8] They lost in the semifinals to Columbia.[9]
References
edit- 1 2 3 2026 Allstate Big Ten Women's Basketball Tournament Bracket Announced. Big Ten conference bigten.org, March 1, 2026
- 1 2 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
- 1 2 "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
- ↑ Steppe, John - Wisconsin's season ends with WBIT semifinal loss to Columbia. USA Today (Milwaukee Journal Sentinel), March 30, 2026