2026 Big Ten women's basketball tournament
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| 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 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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.
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 |