Big Ten Media Day: Women's basketball power rankings, Braden Smith preseason POY and more
The conference holds its annual media day Wednesday and Thursday in Rosemont, Ill., with 18 teams in attendance
Wednesday is Big Ten Media Day in Rosemont, Ill., for the 18 women’s basketball teams. Katie Gearlds and sophomores Sophie Swanson and Rashunda Jones will represent the Boilermakers.
The conference will use a new format with coaches rotating through segments. Gearlds will open Purdue's day at 11:20 a.m. ET on stage with Illinois coach Shauna Green and Maryland coach Brenda Frese discussing their teams' European tours. BTN starts its coverage at 10 a.m. ET.
Swanson, Jones, and Gearlds will be on the BTN set at 3:15 p.m. ET.
POWER RANKINGS
Last week, the league announced its preseason awards ahead of Media Day, but the conference only releases the top five teams in the poll. Here’s one opinion of how No. 1 through No. 18 stack up before the season starts.
UCLA
The Bruins get the nod here - not by much - even though USC earned the top spot in the official poll. Lauren Betts is the best post player in the country, and she’s surrounded by a talented cast, including Washington State transfer Charlisse Leger-Walker. Kiki Rice is dynamic on the perimeter, and UCLA welcomes three top-30 recruits.
USC
JuJu Watkins is the best player in the Big Ten and can lead the Women of Troy to the regular-season title. Stanford transfer Kiki Iriafen and former Oregon State standout Talia von Oelhoffen provide plenty of talent to support Watkins. The wild cards are the six-player freshman class, all ranked in the top 100.
MARYLAND
Death. Taxes. Frese and the transfer portal. Her players transfer, but Frese re-stocks the roster without any problems. The Terrapins added four significant transfers to join Shyanne Sellers and Bri McDonald.
OHIO STATE
Cotie McMahon is enough to keep the Buckeyes in the upper half, but coach Kevin McGuff also returns Taylor Thierry and brings in freshman point guard Jaloni Cambridge, who was ranked the second-best player in her class. OSU brought in transfers Chance Gray (Oregon) and Ajae Petty (Kentucky).
IOWA
Might be a tad high now that Caitlin Clark is gone and long-time assistant Jan Jansen takes over the program after Lisa Bluder retired. The Hawkeyes will likely run the same system and feature the personnel to score points. Hanna Stuelke is one of the top centers in the country, and the addition of Villanova transfer Lucy Olsen helps replace Clark’s production.
INDIANA
It’s a different look for the Hoosiers without center MacKenzie Holmes, but Sydney Parrish, Chole Moore-McNeil and Yarden Garzon return and bring back plenty of experience. Penn State transfer Shay Ciezki gives IU more firepower.
MICHIGAN STATE
The Spartans look to build off a successful first season under Robyn Fralick, who guided the program to a top-four finish in the Big Ten and a spot in the NCAA tournament. Julia Ayrault, who led MSU in scoring and rebounding, is joined by Oregon transfer Grace VanSlooten and guard Jaddan Simmons, a combo guard from Arizona State.
NEBRASKA
Alexis Markowski and Natalie Potts, who earned Big Ten Freshman of the Year by the coaches last season, give the Huskers an opportunity to finish in the upper half of the league. Logan Nissley also earned valuable experience last year as a freshman. Keep an eye on Britt Prince, a highly touted freshman who should make an instant impact.
ILLINOIS
The Fighting Illini underachieved throughout the regular season but put it together to win the inaugural WBIT. The top three scorers - Makira Cook, Genesis Bryant and Kendall Bostic - are back and are joined by transfers Lety Vasconcelos (Baylor) - who stands 6-foot-7 - and Jasmine Brown-Hagger (Mississippi State).
OREGON
If you’re following along, you’ve noticed the Ducks lost two talented transfers to other Big Ten teams. Where would Oregon rank if Gray and VanSlooten had stayed with the program? The Ducks wouldn’t be No. 10. Coach Kelly Graves replenished the roster with Deja Kelly (North Carolina), Nani Falatea (BYU) and Amina Muhammad (Texas). Phillipina Kyei, a 6-8 senior, returns after averaging a double-double.
PURDUE
Armed with a contract extension, four transfers, three freshmen, and returning experience on the perimeter, Gearlds looks to bring the Boilermakers back to the NCAA tournament. Purdue has more athletic ability than in previous seasons to play uptempo. Transfers Reagan Bass (Akron), Mahri Petree (UTEP), Destini Lombard (Stephen F. Austin), and Ella Collier (Marian University) were brought in to provide veteran leadership to the younger players.
MINNESOTA
If Mara Braun can stay healthy, the Gophers can make a move. When Braun was sidelined by a foot injury, Minnesota struggled for two months. Starters Amaya Battle, Grace Grocholski, Sophie Hart and Mallory Heyer also return.
MICHIGAN
Losing star Laila Phelia to Texas was a major blow. Coach Kim Barnes Arico brought in a talented freshman class, and they’ll have to make an immediate impact to help Michigan move up.
WASHINGTON
The Huskies return three starters, including Dalayah Daniels, one of the top post players in the Pac-12 last season. Sayvia Sellers had a solid freshman season.
WISCONSIN
Serah Williams is one of the top players in the Big Ten, but there’s not much to the supporting cast. Ronnie Porter averaged double figures as a sophomore, but the Badgers need others to step up to avoid slipping into the bottom three.
RUTGERS
The roster isn’t void of talent with double-figure scorer Destiny Adams back along with Awa Sidibe, Chyna Cornwell and Mya Petticord. The Scarlet Knights lost leading scorer Kaylene Smikle to Maryland.
NORTHWESTERN
Adding Michigan transfer Taylor Williams gives the Wildcats hope they can climb out of the basement. Northwestern returns nine players, including leading scorer Caileigh Walsh and point guard Caroline Lau.
PENN STATE
The roster was gutted by the transfer portal and players who exhausted their eligibility. If the Lady Lions make the Big Ten tournament - the top 15 teams earn a spot - this will be a successful season.
ELSEWHERE
• Purdue junior point guard Braden Smith was named Big Ten Preseason Player of the Year.
• The unofficial/official Big Ten men’s basketball preseason poll was released Wednesday. A group of media from around the conference voted in the poll. The Big Ten doesn’t publish No. 1 through 18 and limits preseason selections to one 10-player team. This poll features first and second-team picks (five players on each team), player, freshman and transfer of the year. It’s the eighth year for this poll.
• Matt Painter received a commitment from 2025 prospect Antione West. More from Brian Neubert at goldandblack.com.
• Jason Simmons takes over for Graham Harrell as Purdue’s offensive coordinator. Head coach Ryan Walters fired Harrell after an underperforming start to the season. More from Tom Dienhart at goldandblack.com.