The SEC built the throne, but now the Big10 wants it: women’s basketball
The SEC isn’t used to losing its dominance. The Big Ten is trying to take some of that power.
Historically, the SEC has been the strongest and most consistent NCAA Division I women’s basketball conference, winning the most national championships.
Tennessee has won eight of the 12 championships; South Carolina has three. The 2025–26 season could change that.
According to the NCAA women’s basketball NET Rankings, the BIG10 has been the conference to beat. The Big10 currently has 10 teams ranked in the top 25, in contrast with the SEC’s eight.
The highest ranked, and most consistent BIG10 team is UCLA. The Bruins are 23-1 on the season, and have consistently been ranked at No. 2, just behind the undefeated UConn Huskies.
UCLA has recently won Big10 matchups against Iowa, Rutgers, and Michigan.
Senior Lauren Betts has had an impressive season averaging 16 points, 8 rebounds, and over 2 blocks per game. Those stats and her overall defensive performance have earned her a spot on the 2026 Naismith Women’s College Defensive Player of the Year list.
Iowa, most recently, made a run for the championship in 2024, and lost in the final game to the SECs’ South Carolina, but the Hawkeyes are looking to make another run this year.
Second season head coach, Jan Jensen, is looking to win the championship that her successor Lisa Bluder and her star player, Caitlin Clark, lost out on despite every effort.
With 10 teams being highly ranked this close to March Madness, the BIG10 is looking at earning a sizable payout from this year’s tournament.
For every game that a team wins, following the initial qualifier game, they earn a payout that increases in size as their teams get farther into the tournament.
This season could prove the BIG10 as a conference to watch, or it could go on to show that the SEC is still too strong a conference to compete with.
Thank you for reading Female Athlete News. Clara Romae Slowinski is a student-intern at Penn State University.