The B1G Notebook, Volume 1: Big Ten Conference Women’s Basketball Season Preview
Breaking down what lies ahead for each of the Big Ten's 14 teams in what is poised to be a compelling season
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Another season of women’s college basketball is just around the corner, and the Big Ten conference is once again looking to be one of the most competitive conferences in the NCAA. Last year, three Big Ten teams made it all the way to the Elite Eight, and Iowa’s Caitlin Clark went home with the Naismith Player of the Year award. Before the 2023-24 season begins, we’re catching everyone up on what happened last season, who came and went in the offseason, and what we expect this year.
Illinois
Head coach: Shauna Green (2nd season)
Last year’s record: 22-10
Notable additions: Shay Bollin (Duke), Camille Hobby (NC State).
Key returners: Makira Cook (18.3 ppg), Genesis Bryant (15.2 ppg), Adalia McKenzie (13.6 ppg), and Kendall Bostic (10.2 ppg, 9.8 rpg, 1.6 bpg)
What to watch for: Last year, Illinois was a team full of potential but with few expectations from the women’s basketball community. However, after climbing into the AP Top 25 for the first time since 2000, the Fighting Illini were picked to finish fifth in the Big Ten this season by the coaches. What made the team such a threat last season was its offense. Illinois averaged 107.5 points per 100 possessions, 11th in the country, partially thanks to a team 37.2 3-point percentage. The question for this year is if Illinois can keep up its power from behind the arc while also incorporating the added height from 6-foot-3 grad transfer Camille Hobby in the post.
Indiana
Head coach: Teri Moren (10th season)
Last year’s record: 28-4
Notable additions: Sharnecce Currie-Jelks (UT Martin), Jules LaMendola (ESPN No. 52 recruit)
Key returners: Mackenzie Holmes (22.3 ppg, 7.3 rpg), Sydney Parrish (12 ppg)
What to watch for: After winning the Big Ten regular-season title, the Hoosiers suffered early exits in both the Big Ten Tournament and March Madness. For the 2023-24 season, expect Big Ten Coach of the Year Teri Moren to keep her team at the top of the conference once again. With almost all players returning, Moren brings back the fourth-best defense in the country, which held opponents to 62.1 points per game. Even without Grace Berger, Indiana’s backcourt still looks strong with sophomore Yarden Garzon, Sydney Parish and Chloe Moore-McNeil. All signs point to another strong season from the Hoosiers.
Iowa
Head coach: Lisa Bluder (24th season)
Last year’s record: 31-7
Notable additions: Kennise Johnson
Key returners: Caitlin Clark (27.8 ppg, 8.6 apg), Kate Martin (7.7 ppg)
What to watch for: The biggest question for Iowa this season is who fills the hole left behind by Monika Czinano in the post. Last season, Czinano averaged 17.1 points per game, shooting 67.4% from the field, and was the recipient of many of Clark’s assists. The Hawkeyes are also without McKenna Warnock, the third-best scorer from last year’s team. Lisa Bluder is looking to Big Ten Sixth Player of the Year Hannah Stuelke and Addison O’Grady to step up in the frontcourt, but they’ll face some difficult opponents inside the paint this season, including Virginia Tech’s Elizabeth Kitley and Indiana’s Mackenzie Holmes.
Maryland
Head coach: Brenda Frese (22nd season)
Last year’s record: 28-7
Notable additions: Jakia Brown-Turner (NC State), Riley Nelson (ESPN No. 18 recruit), Emily Fisher (ESPN No. 80 recruit)
Key returners: Shyanne Sellers (13.9 ppg, 3.9 apg), Brinae Alexander (9 ppg, 43.9% 3P), Faith Masonius (6.9 ppg, 4.9 rpg), Lavender Briggs (7.2 ppg)
What to watch for: Replacing two WNBA first-round picks is never easy. While the losses of Diamond Miller and Abby Meyers pose a challenge, Brenda Frese has proven herself capable of handling roster turnover. Remember the previous offseason when the Terps lost 85% of their offense, including Angel Reese and Ashley Owusu? Maryland responded with a 28-7 record and an Elite Eight appearance. Things are a little different this year, as the Terps return four of their top six scorers, including Shyanne Sellers. The 6-foot-2 junior’s development last season – one that ended with her on the Second Team All-Big Ten – has Frese hopeful that Sellers can make another leap in her development this season. A strong returning core coupled with the addition of NC State transfer Brown-Turner and a pair of ESPN top 100 recruits leave little doubt that we could see yet another high-octane offense in College Park. The Terps will be put to the test early with back-to-back road contests against South Carolina and UConn in the first two weeks of the season.
Michigan
Head coach: Kim Barnes Arico (12th season)
Last year’s record: 23-10
Notable additions: Elissa Brett (Bowling Green), Lauren Hansen (Missouri), Taylor Williams (Western Michigan), Taylor Woodson (ESPN No. 59 recruit), Macy Brown (ESPN No. 74 recruit).
Key returners: Laila Phelia (16.7 ppg), Cameron Williams (6.4 ppg)
What to watch for: This is a Michigan team that underwent a lot of change in the offseason. Two assistant coaches left for jobs at Providence, and five players left in the transfer portal, including starting guard Maddie Nolan. On top of that, Emily Kiser and Leigha Brown went professional, leaving Kim Barnes Arico without a lot of firepower. The biggest question with this team, and any team with a lot of transfers, is how these players will come together. With a relatively easy non-conference schedule, the Wolverines will hopefully have some time to figure it out before Big Ten play begins in December.
Michigan State
Head coach: Robyn Fralick (1st season)
Last year’s record: 16-14
Notable additions: Jocelyn Tate (Bowling Green), Lauren Ross (Western Michigan).
Key returners: Moira Joiner (10.1 ppg), DeeDee Hagemann (9.3 ppg)
What to watch for: This is Robyn Fralick’s first season at Michigan State after previous head coach Suzy Merchant stepped down last season due to health issues. Fralick previously spent five seasons at Bowling Green, coaching her team to an 88-73 record over her tenure there. Moira Joiner, Gabby Elliot and DeeDee Hagemann will lead the Spartans this year, but at least one of these guards will be asked to step up their production with last year’s top two scorers gone. If Elliot can return to full health this season after tearing her ACL last December, her 60.6% shooting from two could elevate her to the top-scoring option.
Minnesota
Head coach: Dawn Plitzuweit (1st season)
Last year’s record: 11-19
Notable additions: Sophie Hart (NC State), Janay Sanders (Appalachian State), Grace Grocholski (ESPN No. 98 recruit).
Key returners: Mara Braun (15.6 ppg), Mallory Heyer (10.4 ppg)
What to watch for: Like Michigan State, Minnesota is another Big Ten team getting acclimated to a new head coach this season after Lindsay Whalen stepped down during last year’s Big Ten Tournament. The Golden Gophers have struggled recently with three losing seasons in a row, but Plitzuweit’s winning experience at West Virginia and South Dakota State could point them in the right direction moving forward. With a young core led by Mara Braun, this could be the start of Minnesota’s upward trajectory in the Big Ten.
Nebraska
Head coach: Amy Williams (9th season)
Last year’s record: 18-15
Notable additions: Darian White (Montana State), Logan Nissley (ESPN No. 91 recruit)
Key returners: Jaz Shelley (14.5 ppg, 6.2 apg), Alexis Markowski (11.9 ppg, 9.8 rpg)
What to watch for: Nebraska is perhaps the most perplexing team in the Big Ten. With standout players in Shelley and Markowski and a signature 23-point win over Maryland, last year looked promising for the Cornhuskers. However, Nebraska missed out on March Madness and lost in the WNIT round of 16, a disappointing finish to the season. With another year of experience under their belt, expect this year’s Cornhuskers to be more consistent and a bigger threat to conference opponents.
Northwestern
Head coach: Joe McKeown (16th season)
Last year’s record: 9-21
Notable additions: Maggie Pina (Boston University)
Key returners: Caileigh Walsh (12.1 ppg), Paige Mott (8.9 ppg)
What to watch for: Coming off of their worst season in more than a decade, the Wildcats can really only get better from here. The team’s biggest struggle last year was its offense, averaging 63.7 points per game and shooting 38.3% from the field. No player on last year’s team averaged more than 12.1 points per game, and just two Wildcats averaged double-digit points. Northwestern will be tested early with non-conference games against Notre Dame, Florida State and potentially Stanford. During the conference’s media day, McKeown said he hopes to challenge his team early to prepare them for the Big Ten. But for Northwestern to get back to its winning ways, at least one player will need to step up big time to improve its offense.
Ohio State
Head coach: Kevin McGuff (11th season)
Last year’s record: 28-8
Notable additions: Celeste Taylor (Duke), Taiyier Parks (Michigan State), Diana Collins (ESPN No. 70 recruit)
Key returners: Cotie McMahon (15.1 ppg), Jacy Sheldon (13.2 ppg, 3.5 spg), and Taylor Thierry (13.5 ppg, 6.5 rpg)
What to watch for: Last year, the Buckeyes started the season with a 19-game winning streak before losing three consecutive games in late January. Ohio State ultimately righted its course and made it to the Elite Eight before losing to Virginia Tech. This season, with the addition of ACC Defensive Player of the Year Celeste Taylor, the Buckeyes’ full-court press only becomes more threatening. The one downside is the team’s lack of a proven center. Rebeka Mikulášiková, who started most of the games at center, struggled to defend against other tall players, while Eboni Walker at 6-foot, didn’t have the height necessary for the position. Hopefully, for Kevin McGuff, transfer Taiyier Parks and freshman Faith Carson will step up in the post for the Buckeyes.
Penn State
Head coach: Carolyn Kieger (5th season)
Last year’s record: 14-17
Notable additions: Ashley Owusu (Virginia Tech), Tay Valladay (Virginia), Moriah Murray (Drexel), Grace Hall (Wabash), Jayla Oden (Illinois), Kylie Lavelle (Drexel).
Key returners: Makenna Marisa (17.5 ppg), Shay Ciezki (11.8 ppg), and Leilani Kapinus (11.2 ppg, 3.1 spg, 1.0 bpg)
What to watch for: Despite a losing season last year, Penn State continued its upward trajectory and likely will this year as well. With six transfers, two of them graduate transfers, the Nittany Lions add depth and experience, both things they lacked the previous season. While Ashley Owusu received little playing time at Virginia Tech, fans of the Big Ten will remember her for her breakout sophomore season at Maryland, where she averaged 17.9 points and 5.9 assists per game. A duo of Marisa and Owusu in the backcourt could be dangerous in the Big Ten if Owusu can get back to even a fraction of her sophomore self. Oden, Valladay and Lavelle will all provide starter-level minutes or a spark off the bench. But similar to Michigan, it all comes down to whether Carolyn Kieger can help the team find its chemistry.
Purdue
Head coach: Katie Gearlds (3rd season)
Last year’s record: 19-11
Notable additions: Mila Reynolds (Maryland), Alaina Harper (Grand Canyon), Amiyah Reynolds (ESPN No. 43 recruit), Rashunda Jones (ESPN No. 79 recruit), Mary Ashley Stevenson (ESPN No. 97 recruit)
Key returners: Abbey Ellis (11.2 ppg), Caitlyn Harper (10.4 ppg)
What to watch for: Purdue is another middle-of-the-pack Big Ten team with plenty of potential for growth. Last year was the Boilermakers’ best season since 2016-17 and their first time in March Madness since that year as well. This year Katie Gearlds brings together a young team with six freshmen, three of them ranked in ESPN’s top 100 recruits. With their second game of the season against UCLA, the young Boilermakers will get their “welcome” to college basketball early in the season before playing Notre Dame later in the nonconference schedule. But despite the promising recruits, Gearlds said at Big Ten Media Day that she is still relying on veterans Abbey Ellis and Jeanae Terry to lead the team.
Rutgers
Head coach: Coquese Washington (2nd season)
Last year’s record: 12-20
Notable additions: Destiny Adams (North Carolina), Mya Petticord (Texas A&M),
Key returners: Kaylene Smikle (17.9 ppg), Chyna Cornwall (9.5 ppg, 8.6 rpg)
What to watch for: With her first season at Rutgers out of the way, Coquese Washington said at Big Ten Media Day that she is “extremely happy” with the direction of her program and hopes to be more competitive on game day. With Kaylene Smikle in her sophomore season, the Scarlet Knights are another Big Ten program with young talent moving toward the top of the league. One area the team will need to work on this season is defense. Rutgers allowed 73.7 points per game and boasted a defensive rating of 96.5 points per 100 possessions, both of which ranked in the bottom 5% of Division I last season.
Wisconsin
Head coach: Marisa Moseley (3rd season)
Last year’s record: 11-20
Key returners: Serah Williams (12.7 ppg, 1.9 bpg), Brooke Schramek (10.4 ppg)
What to watch for: Last season, Wisconsin won six Big Ten games, its most since the 2010-11 season. Wisconsin’s lineup is primarily comprised of underclassmen: five freshmen and five sophomores, including Big Ten All-Freshmen team member Serah Williams. In her Big Ten Media Day remarks,, Mosely called Williams one of the best post players in the country. Despite joking that having a young team gave her more gray hair, Mosely explained that having young players works because of their willingness to learn and their dedication to the Wisconsin program. A couple of areas to keep an eye on this season is whether Wisconsin can shore up its defense and take care of the ball. Last season, the Badgers allowed 72.6 points per game (bottom 10% in Division I) and turned the ball over 17.7 times per outing (bottom 25% in Division I).
Thanks for reading the Her Hoop Stats Newsletter. If you like our work, be sure to check out our stats site, our podcast, and our social media accounts on Twitter, YouTube, Facebook, and Instagram.