College basketball seasons now involve conference games in early December. That wasn’t generally the case 20 years ago, when conferences were smaller. USC women’s basketball beat Oregon in a conference game in early December. Every Big Ten women’s basketball team has played one conference game. Technically, the conference season has already begun. In essence, though, the fun starts this coming weekend, with Big Ten teams beginning the two-month run of conference games which will continue into March. As we look at the Big Ten women’s basketball landscape heading into conference play, here are a few things you should know, including where various teams stand in a projected NCAA Tournament bracket:
USC and UCLA are both projected No. 1 seeds. We mention that not to say you should expect the two teams to become No. 1 seeds, but to emphasize that the Trojans and Bruins are very much in the hunt for a top seed. USC’s likely NCAA Tournament seed will be a top-two seed. The Trojans would have to really stumble to not get a top-two seed.
The other Big Ten women’s basketball teams in contention for a No. 1 seed are Maryland (currently projected at No. 2) and Ohio State (No. 3). Both the Terps and Buckeyes are unbeaten. They are the foremost contenders to the Los Angeles schools in the Big Ten. Maryland, OSU, and UCLA are the three unbeaten teams in the Big Ten.
Two teams we haven’t mentioned yet are Minnesota and Michigan State. They both have only one loss, joining 11-1 USC as one-loss teams in the conference.
Six Big Ten teams have no more than one loss entering the heart of the conference season. A total of 11 teams have no more than two losses. One of those 11 teams is 10-2 Michigan, which visits USC this coming Sunday night in the Galen Center. Another is 10-2 Nebraska, which visits USC on New Year’s Day at noon in Galen.
Of the Big Ten’s 18 teams, none are .500 or worse. All 18 teams have winning records. Of those 18 teams, 16 have no more than four losses, 14 have no more than three.
This Big Ten basketball season is going to be very compelling. Take note.