9 minutes with Jan Jensen: What she said before overtime at Maryland
The Hawkeyes’ head coach had some encouraging words after a 17-point collapse and saw her team survive for an 85-78 win.
Big Ten women’s basketball is in the thick of league play, and intriguing storylines are forming left and right. The top team seems clear but not much beyond that. It’ll be a nightly battle for league supremacy all the way through this intriguing Big Ten race.
With that, here are the USA TODAY Sports Network’s eighth Big Ten women’s basketball power rankings of the 2025-26 season.
Records are reflective of games through Jan. 23.
1. UCLA (18-1)
- Previously: No. 1
- What to know: Blowout home wins over Maryland and Purdue have UCLA rolling right along with little disruption.
2. Iowa (17-2)
- Previously: No. 2
- What to know: Impressive wins over Michigan State and Maryland have Iowa’s winning streak at seven entering a big home showdown vs. Ohio State.
3. Ohio State (18-2)
- Previously: No. 5
- What to know: The Buckeyes have won 16 of their last 17 and added substance to the resume with a nice neutral-site win over TCU on MLK Day. A trip to Carver-Hawkeye Arena awaits.
4. Michigan (16-3)
- Previously: No. 3
- What to know: The Wolverines suffered an MLK Day loss to Vanderbilt but rebounded with a convincing road win at Rutgers.
5. Michigan State (18-2)
- Previously: No. 6
- What to know: The Spartans saw their nine-game winning streak end in Iowa City, but Michigan State bounced back with a home win over USC.
6. Illinois (15-4)
- Previously: No. 7
- What to know: Illinois took care of Northwestern at home and sit tied for sixth place in the Big Ten standings right now.
7. Maryland (17-4)
- Previously: No. 4
- What to know: A rough stretch saw Maryland demolished at UCLA before coming home for a rare XFINITY Center loss to Iowa.
8. Washington (15-4)
- Previously: No. 10
- What to know: Washington got back on track with solid home wins over Minnesota and Penn State.
9. Minnesota (13-6)
- Previously: No. 9
- What to know: Minnesota split its Pacific Northwest trip, stumbling at Washington before rebounding at Oregon.
10. Nebraska (14-5)
- Previously: No. 8
- What to know: Nebraska has dropped five of seven after a 12-0 start, including a stunning loss at Wisconsin.
11. Oregon (14-7)
- Previously: No. 11
- What to know: Oregon has dropped six of eight after a 12-1 start and will carry a four-game losing streak into its next game vs. Penn State.
12. USC (11-8)
- Previously: No. 12
- What to know: USC ended a four-game losing streak with a win over Purdue, but a road stumble at Michigan State has the margin for error thin moving forward.
13. Wisconsin (13-7)
- Previously: No. 14
- What to know: Back-to-back home wins over Oregon and Nebraska have Wisconsin on the rise.
14. Purdue (10-9)
- Previously: No. 13
- What to know: Purdue went 0-2 on its Los Angeles swing with two uncompetitive performances.
15. Indiana (11-9)
- Previously: No. 15
- What to know: Indiana’s losing streak is at seven now after a loss at Ohio State.
16. Northwestern (8-11)
- Previously: No. 16
- What to know: The Wildcats fell at Illinois to end a two-game winning streak.
17. Rutgers (9-10)
- Previously: No. 17
- What to know: A win at Penn State ended Rutgers’ five-game losing streak.
18. Penn State (7-13)
- Previously: No. 18
- What to know: Penn State is 1-12 since a 6-1 start, which includes a current nine-game losing streak.
