2022-23 Big Ten Women's Basketball Preview Hub
All 14 team previews plus the Hoopla 40 and preseason honors
Hello. The Big Ten women’s basketball teams play their first games of the season next week. We have almost made it.
Over the past few months, I have previewed all 14 teams, listed out my preseason honors, picked the most intriguing freshmen/transfers and ranked what I suspect to be the top 40 players in the conference this season. Thank you for following through it all, year two of Hoopla has been a blast already.
This post is where you can get all of that content in one place. I’m all out of preseason content for you, and next week I will talk about the games I’m most excited to watch for the opening week. So for now, let’s run through everything that’s been discussed in the offseason one last time.
Preseason Honors / Lists
Three things to read if you want to learn about specific players to watch for this season.
The Hoopla 40 — My list of the top 40 players in the Big Ten this season based on previous stats, analytics, expected development and just generally who I think will be very good. There will be a midseason and post season update to this list, and this is probably the one I’d recommend highest if you are looking to get into Big Ten women’s basketball this season.
Preseason Rankings and Honors — A little redundant after the Hoopla 40, but I pick my top five teams, top 10 players and player of the year for the Big Ten here, as well as some extra analysis on how I made the selections.
Top 10 Newcomers — Newcomers is defined as anyone new to the Big Ten this season, whether that be transfers or freshmen. There are plenty of new faces in the conference to be excited about.
Team Previews
Listed here in order of where I expect them to finish this season. Some of these previews may also be slightly outdated due to some injuries that have occurred since writing.
The Rebuild Tier
These teams each have exciting players, but are either starting over with a new coach or are rebuilding their roster basically from the ground up. These teams are still a few years from NCAA Tournament contention pending something miraculous.
14.) Rutgers
This roster has eight players on it. These players all offer intrigue, especially under new head coach Coquese Washington, but it’s hard to have faith in a roster this small.
13.) Illinois
New head coach Shauna Green has a roster with exciting pieces to help build this program back up. It will take time, but things appear to be off to a good start.
12.) Minnesota
One of the most interesting teams in America. Minnesota is starting almost completely over after 13 (!!!!) players left. This incoming recruiting class, which ranked top 10 nationally, is about to get some serious immediate playing time, which will be extremely fun to watch.
11.) Wisconsin
The wins haven’t come yet, but year one of the Marisa Moseley tenure showed promise. This roster, with a key transfer and loads of freshmen talent, could surprise a lot of people.
Tournament Hopefuls
Ranging from outside shot to on the bubble, these programs should have aspirations to get into the Field of 68 with the talent they possess.
10.) Penn State
Penn State has a roster that could break out in 2022-23. Star Makenna Marisa has her best supporting cast yet, and the Nittany Lions can compete for a NCAA Tournament bid if they can patch up their defensive woes from the past few years.
9.) Northwestern
Veronica Burton leaves an irreplaceable void, and the Wildcats may struggle without her. But this roster stayed firmly in tact outside of Burton, and the duo of Courtney Shaw and Sydney Wood should lead this roster to some wins.
8.) Purdue
Buy up that Purdue stock before it’s too late. The Boilermakers looked rejuvenated in Katie Geralds’ first season, and much of the key talent returns along with some big additions through the portal.
7.) Michigan State
The Spartans’ NCAA Tournament hopes likely rest in the development of second-year players Matilda Ekh and DeeDee Hagemann. If those two are ready to lead this team post-Nia Clouden, Michigan State should make some noise.
Top 25 Tier
The Big Ten’s top six are all ranked in the preseason polls. These next few teams all have what it takes to make it to the Sweet 16, and have outside shots at winning the Big Ten.
6.) Michigan
Naz Hillmon is gone, but Leigha Brown, Emily Kiser and Maddie Nolan give the Wolverines plenty of experience to run it back after making the Elite Eight last season.
5.) Nebraska
Sam Haiby has been declared out for the season since the writing of this preview, but Jaz Shelley and Alexis Markowski offer enough star power to keep Nebraska’s goals on the table.
4.) Maryland
The Terps lost two huge, huge players to the transfer portal and still managed to reload and stay among the conference’s best. Diamond Miller making the jump she’s capable of could be the difference in where Maryland ends up this season.
3.) Ohio State
The Big Ten’s regular season champs run it back with most of the key pieces back plus Madison Greene, the star point guard who missed all of last year due to injury. Getting back to the Sweet 16 once again should be the minimum expectation for this group.
Conference Title Favorites, Final Four Hopefuls
The Big Ten has not had a team in the Final Four since 2015. These two teams have the talent and potential to snap that streak.
2.) Indiana
Some key veterans are gone, but the Hoosiers return Mackenzie Holmes and Grace Berger while adding some major, major pieces from the portal. This offense should erupt with Sara Scalia and Sydney Parrish, but the defense staying as good as it has been will be what decides Indiana’s fate.
1.) Iowa
The Hawkeyes were stunned in the Round of 32 last year, but run it back one more time with the Caitlin Clark-Monika Czinano duo. In fact, the whole starting five returns, and the addition of Molly Davis is another huge weapon for Lisa Bluder to utilize. If Clark’s shot finds more consistency this season, the Hawkeyes have the talent to compete for a national title.
The offseason is over. We have games to discuss starting next week. See you there.
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