2025 Big Ten women's basketball tournament
| 2025 Big Ten women's basketball tournament | |
|---|---|
| Classification | Division I |
| Season | 2024–25 |
| Teams | 15 |
| Site | Gainbridge Fieldhouse Indianapolis, Indiana |
| Champions | UCLA (1st title) |
| Winning coach | Cori Close (1st title) |
| MVP | Lauren Betts (UCLA) |
| Television | Peacock, BTN, CBS/Paramount+ |
| Conf. | Overall | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team | W | L | PCT | W | L | PCT | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| No. 5 USC | 17 | – | 1 | .944 | 31 | – | 4 | .886 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| No. 3 UCLA † | 16 | – | 2 | .889 | 34 | – | 3 | .919 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| No. 19 Ohio State | 13 | – | 5 | .722 | 26 | – | 7 | .788 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| No. 12 Maryland | 13 | – | 5 | .722 | 25 | – | 8 | .758 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| No. 25 Michigan | 11 | – | 7 | .611 | 23 | – | 11 | .676 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Michigan State | 11 | – | 7 | .611 | 22 | – | 10 | .688 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Illinois | 11 | – | 7 | .611 | 22 | – | 10 | .688 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Oregon | 10 | – | 8 | .556 | 20 | – | 12 | .625 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Indiana | 10 | – | 8 | .556 | 20 | – | 13 | .606 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Nebraska | 10 | – | 8 | .556 | 21 | – | 12 | .636 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Iowa | 10 | – | 8 | .556 | 23 | – | 11 | .676 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Washington | 9 | – | 9 | .500 | 19 | – | 14 | .576 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Minnesota | 8 | – | 10 | .444 | 25 | – | 11 | .694 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Wisconsin | 4 | – | 14 | .222 | 13 | – | 17 | .433 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Rutgers | 3 | – | 15 | .167 | 13 | – | 20 | .394 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Purdue | 3 | – | 15 | .167 | 10 | – | 19 | .345 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Northwestern | 2 | – | 16 | .111 | 9 | – | 18 | .333 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Penn State | 1 | – | 17 | .056 | 10 | – | 19 | .345 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| † 2025 Big Ten tournament winner As of April 7, 2025 Rankings from AP Poll | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
The 2025 Big Ten women's basketball tournament (branded as the 2025 TIAA Big Ten Women's Basketball Tournament for sponsorship reasons) was a postseason women's basketball tournament for the Big Ten Conference of the 2024–25 NCAA Division I women's basketball season which took place from March 5–9, 2025. The tournament was held at the Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, Indiana. The tournament winner was UCLA.[1] The Bruins received the conference's automatic bid to the 2025 NCAA Division I women's basketball tournament.[1]
This was the first season in a new tournament format as the conference expanded to 18 teams, following the additions of Oregon, UCLA, USC, and Washington.[2][3] The top 15 teams participated with the bottom three teams not qualifying for the tournament.[4] The field was announced on March 2, 2025.[5] The top four seeds were USC, UCLA, Ohio State, and Maryland.[5]. Purdue, Penn State, and Northwestern did not participate as the lowest three teams in the standings.[5]
Seeds
[edit]The top 15 Big Ten schools participated in the tournament.[5] 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.[5]
| Seed | School | Conference | Tiebreak 1a | Tiebreak 1b | Tiebreak 2a, 2b | Tiebreak 2c | Tiebreak 2d |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | USC | 17–1 | |||||
| 2 | UCLA | 16–2 | |||||
| 3 | Ohio State | 13–5 | 1–1 vs. Maryland | — | 0–1 vs. UCLA/USC | 3–0 vs. ILL, MICH, MSU | |
| 4 | Maryland | 13–5 | 1–1 vs. Ohio State | — | 0–1 vs. UCLA/USC | 2–1 vs. ILL, MICH, MSU | |
| 5 | Michigan | 11–7 | 2–1 vs ILL, MSU | 1–1 vs. Michigan State | 0–1 vs. UCLA/USC | 0–2 vs. MD, OSU | 3–1 vs. IND, IOWA, NEB, ORE |
| 6 | Michigan State | 11–7 | 2–1 vs. ILL, MICH | 1–1 vs. Michigan | 0–1 vs. UCLA/USC | 0–2 vs. MD, OSU | 2–2 vs. IND, IOWA, NEB, ORE |
| 7 | Illinois | 11–7 | 0–2 vs. MICH, MSU | ||||
| 8 | Oregon | 10–8 | 2–1 vs. IND, IOWA, NEB | 1–0 vs. Indiana | |||
| 9 | Indiana | 10–8 | 2–1 vs. IOWA, NEB, ORE | 0–1 vs. Oregon | |||
| 10 | Nebraska | 10–8 | 2–2 vs. IND, IOWA, ORE | ||||
| 11 | Iowa | 10–8 | 1–3 vs. IND, NEB, ORE | ||||
| 12 | Washington | 9–9 | |||||
| 13 | Minnesota | 8–10 | |||||
| 14 | Wisconsin | 4–14 | |||||
| 15 | Rutgers | 3–15 | 1–0 vs. Purdue | ||||
| DNQ | Purdue | 3–15 | 0–1 vs. Rutgers | ||||
| DNQ[a] | Northwestern | 2–16 | |||||
| DNQ | Penn State | 1–17 |
Tiebreakers:[7]
- ^ Due to the wildfires in the Los Angeles and Ventura County, the Northwestern road games at UCLA on January 12 and USC on January 15 were postponed.[6] Northwestern forfeited the games in February 2025. UCLA and USC each were credited with a win, and the Wildcats were assessed two losses.[6]
Schedule
[edit]| Session | Game | Time* | Matchup# | Score | Television | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| First round – Wednesday, March 5 | ||||||
| 1 | 1 | 3:30 p.m. | No. 13 Minnesota vs. No. 12 Washington | 65–79 | Peacock | |
| 2 | 6:00 p.m. | No. 15 Rutgers vs. No. 10 Nebraska | 60–84 | |||
| 3 | 8:30 p.m. | No. 14 Wisconsin vs. No. 11 Iowa | 54–81 | |||
| Second round – Thursday, March 6 | ||||||
| 2 | 4 | 12:00 p.m. | No. 9 Indiana vs. No. 8 Oregon | 78–62 | BTN | 7,028 |
| 5 | 2:30 p.m. | No. 12 Washington vs. No. 5 Michigan | 58–66 | |||
| 3 | 6 | 6:30 p.m. | No. 10 Nebraska vs. No. 7 Illinois | 74–70 | ||
| 7 | 9:00 p.m. | No. 11 Iowa vs. No. 6 Michigan State | 74–61 | |||
| Quarterfinals – Friday, March 7 | ||||||
| 4 | 8 | 12:00 p.m. | No. 9 Indiana vs. No. 1 USC | 79–84 | BTN | 7,352 |
| 9 | 2:30 p.m. | No. 5 Michigan vs. No. 4 Maryland | 98–71 | |||
| 5 | 10 | 6:30 p.m. | No. 10 Nebraska vs. No. 2 UCLA | 74–85 | 7,500 | |
| 11 | 9:00 p.m. | No. 11 Iowa vs. No. 3 Ohio State | 59–60 | |||
| Semifinals – Saturday, March 8 | ||||||
| 6 | 12 | 3:00 p.m. | No. 1 USC vs. No. 5 Michigan | 82–70 | BTN | 7,805 |
| 13 | 5:30 p.m. | No. 2 UCLA vs. No. 3 Ohio State | 75–46 | |||
| Championship – Sunday, March 9 | ||||||
| 7 | 14 | 4:30 p.m. | No. 1 USC vs. No. 2 UCLA | 67–72 | CBS | 8,358 |
*Game times in EST through the semifinals and EDT for the championship. #Rankings denote tournament seeding. [8]
Bracket
[edit]| First round Wednesday, March 5 Peacock | Second round Thursday, March 6 BTN | Quarterfinals Friday, March 7 BTN | Semifinals Saturday, March 8 BTN | Championship Sunday, March 9 CBS | |||||||||||||||||||
| 1 | USC | 84 | |||||||||||||||||||||
| 8 | Oregon | 62 | 9 | Indiana | 79 | ||||||||||||||||||
| 9 | Indiana | 78 | 1 | USC | 82 | ||||||||||||||||||
| 5 | Michigan | 70 | |||||||||||||||||||||
| 4 | Maryland | 71 | |||||||||||||||||||||
| 5 | Michigan | 66 | 5 | Michigan | 98 | ||||||||||||||||||
| 12 | Washington | 79 | 12 | Washington | 58 | 1 | USC | 67 | |||||||||||||||
| 13 | Minnesota | 65 | 2 | UCLA | 72 | ||||||||||||||||||
| 2 | UCLA | 85 | |||||||||||||||||||||
| 7 | Illinois | 70 | 10 | Nebraska | 74 | ||||||||||||||||||
| 10 | Nebraska | 84 | 10 | Nebraska | 74 | 2 | UCLA | 75 | |||||||||||||||
| 15 | Rutgers | 60 | 3 | Ohio State | 46 | ||||||||||||||||||
| 3 | Ohio State | 60 | |||||||||||||||||||||
| 6 | Michigan State | 61 | 11 | Iowa | 59 | ||||||||||||||||||
| 11 | Iowa | 81 | 11 | Iowa | 74 | ||||||||||||||||||
| 14 | Wisconsin | 54 | |||||||||||||||||||||
* denotes overtime period
Game summaries
[edit]First round
[edit]Peacock
|
March 5
3:30 p.m. |
| No. 13 Minnesota 65, No. 12 Washington 79 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 12–16, 18–16, 18–22, 17–25 | ||
| Pts: Grace Grocholski (21) Rebs: Grace Grocholski (7) Asts: Grace Grocholski (5) |
Pts: Elle Ladine (21) Rebs: Elle Ladine (8) Asts: Hannah Stines (6) | |
Gainbridge Fieldhouse
Indianapolis, IN Referees: Brenda Pantoja, Natasha Camy, Tim Daley |
Peacock
|
March 5
6:00 p.m. |
| No. 15 Rutgers 60, No. 10 Nebraska 84 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 13–22, 11–17, 13–22, 23–23 | ||
| Pts: Destiny Adams (25) Rebs: Destiny Adams (10) Asts: Tied (3) |
Pts: Alexis Markowski (19) Rebs: Alexis Markowski (10) Asts: Alberte Rimdal (8) | |
Gainbridge Fieldhouse
Indianapolis, IN Referees: Michol Murry, Nykesha Thompson, Mark Resch |
Peacock
|
March 5
8:30 p.m. |
| No. 14 Wisconsin 54, No. 11 Iowa 81 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 9–25, 14–18, 16–22, 15–16 | ||
| Pts: Serah Williams (22) Rebs: Serah Williams (5) Asts: Ronnie Porter (6) |
Pts: Lucy Olsen (19) Rebs: Sydney Affolter (7) Asts: Kylie Feuerbach (6) | |
Gainbridge Fieldhouse
Indianapolis, IN Referees: Maj Forsberg, Michael McConnell, Tiara Cruse |
Second round
[edit]BTN
|
March 6
12:00 p.m. |
| No. 9 Indiana 78, No. 8 Oregon 62 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 23–11, 17–19, 16–18, 22–14 | ||
| Pts: Yarden Garzon (18) Rebs: Sydney Parrish (6) Asts: Chloe Moore-McNeil (5) |
Pts: Peyton Scott (16) Rebs: Peyton Scott (8) Asts: Deja Kelly (5) | |
Gainbridge Fieldhouse
Indianapolis, IN |
BTN
|
March 6
2:30 p.m. |
| No. 12 Washington 58, No. 5 Michigan 66 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 13–14, 15–15, 13–23, 17–14 | ||
| Pts: Dalayah Daniels (22) Rebs: Dalayah Daniels (10) Asts: Sayvia Sellers (7) |
Pts: Olivia Olson (21) Rebs: Tied (6) Asts: Mila Holloway (8) | |
Gainbridge Fieldhouse
Indianapolis, IN |
BTN
|
March 6
6:30 p.m. |
| No. 10 Nebraska 74, No. 7 Illinois 70 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 15–19, 15–13, 19–24, 25–14 | ||
| Pts: Britt Prince (17) Rebs: Logan Nissley (7) Asts: Britt Prince (5) |
Pts: Genesis Bryant (20) Rebs: Tied (6) Asts: Adalia McKenzie (10) | |
Gainbridge Fieldhouse
Indianapolis, IN Referees: Kevin Pethtel, Cameron Inouye, Mark Resch |
BTN
|
March 6
9:00 p.m. |
| No. 11 Iowa 74, No. 6 Michigan State 61 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 12–16, 20–9, 22–23, 20–13 | ||
| Pts: Lucy Olsen (21) Rebs: Hannah Stuelke (10) Asts: Lucy Olsen (9) |
Pts: Julia Ayrault (17) Rebs: Grace VanSlooten (10) Asts: Jaddan Simmons (5) | |
Gainbridge Fieldhouse
Indianapolis, IN Attendance: 7,028 Referees: Brenda Pantoja, Natasha Camy, Angie Enlund |
Quarterfinals
[edit]BTN
|
March 7
12:00 p.m. |
| No. 9 Indiana 79, No. 1 USC 84 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 18–23, 16–15, 23–21, 22–25 | ||
| Pts: Yarden Garzon (23) Rebs: Yarden Garzon (8) Asts: Chloe Moore-McNeil (7) |
Pts: JuJu Watkins (31) Rebs: Tied (10) Asts: Talia von Oelhoffen (5) | |
Gainbridge Fieldhouse
Indianapolis, IN Referees: Michol Murray, Roy Gulbeyan, Angie Enlund |
BTN
|
March 7
2:30 p.m. |
| No. 5 Michigan 98, No. 4 Maryland 71 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 27–6, 14–31, 28–12, 29–22 | ||
| Pts: Jordan Hobbs (23) Rebs: Iuliia Grabovskaia (5) Asts: Mila Holloway (8) |
Pts: Sarah Te-Biasu (25) Rebs: Mir McLean (6) Asts: Sarah Te-Biasu (3) | |
Gainbridge Fieldhouse
Indianapolis, IN Attendance: 7,352 Referees: Kevin Pethtel, Nykesha Thompson, Frank Steratore |
BTN
|
March 7
6:30 p.m. |
| No. 10 Nebraska 74, No. 2 UCLA 85 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 17–27, 22–14, 16–21, 19–23 | ||
| Pts: Britt Prince (24) Rebs: Amiah Hargrove (5) Asts: Tied (6) |
Pts: Lauren Betts (28) Rebs: Lauren Betts (13) Asts: Kiki Rice | |
Gainbridge Fieldhouse
Indianapolis, IN Referees: Felicia Grinter, Chuck Gonzalez, Tim Daley |
BTN
|
March 7
9:00 p.m. |
| No. 11 Iowa 59, No. 3 Ohio State 60 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 9–14, 19–15, 18–19, 13–12 | ||
| Pts: Tied (14) Rebs: Hannah Stuelke (12) Asts: Lucy Olsen (7) |
Pts: Cotie McMahon (18) Rebs: Ajae Petty (12) Asts: Jaloni Cambridge (5) | |
Gainbridge Fieldhouse
Indianapolis, IN Attendance: 7,500 Referees: Gina Cross, Maggie Tieman, Cameron Inouye |
Semifinals
[edit]BTN
|
March 8
3:00 p.m. |
| No. 5 Michigan 70, No. 1 USC 82 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 15–12, 16–17, 21–24, 18–29 | ||
| Pts: Syla Swords (26) Rebs: Olivia Olson (9) Asts: Olivia Olson (4) |
Pts: Kiki Iriafen (25) Rebs: Tied (11) Asts: Talia von Oelhoffen (5) | |
Gainbridge Fieldhouse
Indianapolis, IN |
BTN
|
March 8
5:30 p.m. |
| No. 3 Ohio State 46, No. 2 UCLA 75 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 8–22, 13–22, 9–23, 16–8 | ||
| Pts: Jaloni Cambridge (10) Rebs: Tied (4) Asts: Kennedy Cambridge (3) |
Pts: Londynn Jones (22) Rebs: Angela Dugalić (9) Asts: Tied (6) | |
Gainbridge Fieldhouse
Indianapolis, IN Attendance: 7,805 Referees: Michol Murray, Maggie Tieman, Roy Gulbeyan |
Championship
[edit]CBS
|
March 9
4:30 p.m. |
| No. 2 UCLA 72, No. 1 USC 67 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 19–24, 16–21, 17–9, 20–13 | ||
| Pts: Lauren Betts (17) Rebs: Janiah Barker (6) Asts: Kiki Rice (8) |
Pts: JuJu Watkins (29) Rebs: Kennedy Smith (8) Asts: Kennedy Smith (5) | |
Gainbridge Fieldhouse
Indianapolis, IN Attendance: 8,358 Referees: Brenda Pantoja, Maj Forsberg, Julie Krommenhoek |
All-Tournament team
[edit]- Lauren Betts, UCLA – Most Outstanding Player[9]
- Kiki Iriafen, USC
- Lucy Olsen, Iowa
- Syla Swords, Michigan
- JuJu Watkins, USC
Tournament notes
[edit]- An NCAA record twelve Big Ten teams were invited to the 2025 NCAA women's basketball tournament.[10] UCLA, USC, Ohio State, Maryland, Michigan, Iowa, Michigan State, Illinois, Indiana, Nebraska, Oregon, and Washington all received bids to the 2025 tournament.[10] Tournament Winner UCLA was the overall No. 1 seed, and USC was the No. 4 overall seed.[10]
- Minnesota was the sole Big Ten team invited to the 2025 Women's Basketball Invitation Tournament (WBIT).[11] The Gophers won the 2025 WBIT.[12]
- UCLA would regain the number 1 ranking they held before being defeated by USC for the regular season championship.
References
[edit]- ^ a b UCLA Wins 2025 TIAA Big Ten Women’s Basketball Tournament Crown. Big Ten Conference, March 9, 2025
- ^ Rittenberg, Adam (August 4, 2023). "Big Ten adds Oregon, Washington as newest members in blow to Pac-12". ESPN.com. Retrieved March 1, 2025.
- ^ "Big Ten Conference to Alter Basketball Tournaments Starting in 2025". SportsTravelMagazine.com. January 30, 2024. Retrieved September 10, 2024.
- ^ "Big Ten Conference Announces 2025-28 Basketball Tournament Sites". BigTen.org. November 12, 2024. Retrieved March 1, 2025.
- ^ a b c d e 2025 TIAA Big Ten Women’s Basketball Tournament Bracket Announced. Big Ten Conference, March 2, 2025
- ^ a b Northwestern women take forfeits for not playing January games at UCLA, USC over wildfire concerns Associated Press / Big Ten Conference, February 26, 2025
- ^ "Women's Basketball Tournament Tiebreaking Procedures" (PDF). Big Ten Conference. March 3, 2024. Retrieved March 2, 2025.
- ^ "2025 TIAA Big Ten Women's Basketball Tournament". Indiana Sports Corp. Retrieved September 10, 2024.
- ^ "2025 WBB All-Tournament Team" (PDF). BigTen.org. March 9, 2025. Retrieved March 9, 2025.
- ^ a b c Big Ten Conference Sets Record with 12 Programs Headed to the 2025 NCAA Women’s Basketball Tournament. Big Ten Conference, March 16, 2025
- ^ Minnesota Selected for 2025 WBIT Field. Big Ten Conference, March 16, 2025
- ^ Youngblood, Kent - Gophers women’s basketball team rolls against Belmont for WBIT title. Star Tribune, April 2, 2025