Here's How Four Big Ten Women's Basketball Teams Got Into the Sweet 16

Women's basketball coaches say it's the best conference for a reason. Indiana, Maryland, Ohio State and Michigan are each in the Sweet 16 and all have a chance at the NCAA Tournament title giving the NCAA a 25 percent chance of crowning a Big Ten team the champions for the first time since 2006.

USA Today

Women’s basketball coaches across the Big Ten have always said it’s the best conference in the league. That could prove to be true this season as four Big Ten teams — Indiana, Maryland, Ohio State and Michigan — advanced to the Sweet 16 round of the NCAA tournament.

That means there’s a 25 percent chance of a Big Ten team winning the national title for the first time since 2006 when Maryland defeated Duke 78-75 in overtime.

The only other conference sending four teams to the Sweet 16 is the ACC that contains Louisville, North Carolina, NC State and Notre Dame. The rest of the five conferences represented have no more than two teams in the regional semifinals.

Each Big Ten team has a possibility of facing its conference foes either in the Final Four round or in the championship game.

Here’s how each Big Ten school found itself securing a spot in the Sweet 16.

Grace Berger

Indiana Hoosiers guard Grace Berger (34) reacts to a foul call during the fourth quarter of the BIG Ten women's championship game Sunday, March 6, 2022, at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis. The Iowa Hawkeyes defeated the Hoosiers, 74-67. Indiana Hoosiers Versus Iowa Hawkeyes In The Women S Big Ten Championship Game Sunday March 6 2022 At Gainbridge Fieldhouse In Indianapolis Syndication The Indianapolis Star

Indiana

The Hoosiers hold an overall 24-8 season record and an 11-5 conference record. Indiana stacks up well against the other conference teams beating Maryland two out of three matchups this season.

Perhaps the most significant win was knocking off the Terrapins 62-51 in the Big Ten Tournament. Following the final buzzer, Maryland head coach Brenda Frese said she’s had teams in the past use Big Ten Tournament losses as motivation in the NCAA Tournament. So far, it’s working for them.

The Hoosiers only saw Michigan once on Jan. 31 and lost to them 65-50 as one of their worst losses of the whole season. Indiana did however take care of business with Ohio State beating the Buckeyes once in the regular season and in the Big Ten Tournament.

For the first time in program history, Indiana earned a No. 3-seed in the NCAA Tournament as part of its third consecutive trip to the tournament granting them the opportunity to host the first and second rounds.

In the first round, Indiana easily beat Charlotte 85-51 to advance to the second round of the tournament where it defeated Princeton 56-55 in a more leveled matchup.

The Hoosiers will now meet No. 2-seed UConn in the Sweet 16 round on Saturday.

Maryland Terrapins

From left, Maryland head coach Brenda Frese talks with players Diamond Miller, Angel Reese, Chloe Bibby and Taisiya Kozlova during a NCAA Big Ten Conference women's basketball game against Iowa, Monday, Feb. 14, 2022, at Carver-Hawkeye Arena in Iowa City, Iowa

Maryland

The Terrapins hold an overall 23-8 record and 13-4 Big Ten record as they move into the Sweet 16 round.

In the regular season, the Terps lost to Michigan twice and won one out of two games versus Ohio State.

No. 4-seed Maryland has the most decorated NCAA Tournament resume out of every Big Ten team as this will be its 11th consecutive appearance.

So far, Maryland has cruised through the first and second rounds defeating Delaware 102-71 and Florida Gulf Coast 89-65 on the Terrapins’ home court.

The toughest challenge will come in the next round as the Terrapins face the reigning tournament champion Stanford in the Sweet 16.

Tanaya Beacham

Mar 21, 2022; Baton Rouge, Louisiana, USA; Ohio State Buckeyes forward Tanaya Beacham (35) shoots the ball against LSU Lady Tigers forward Autumn Newby (0) during the second half at the Pete Maravich Assembly Center. Mandatory Credit: Stephen Lew-USA TODAY Sports

Ohio State

Ohio State is at a 25-6 overall record and 14-4 Big Ten record this season. The Buckeyes lost to Michigan twice this season by double digit points in both meetings.

No. 6-seed Ohio State could be considered the underdog of Big Ten teams as this is its first tournament appearance since 2018. In the first round and second round in Baton Rouge, La., the Buckeyes defeated Missouri State 63-56 and knocked off No. 3-seed LSU 79-64.

The Buckeyes will meet No. 2-seed Texas in the Sweet 16 round.

Naz Hillmon

Michigan Wolverines forward Naz Hillmon (0) grabs a rebound away from Ohio State Buckeyes forward Rebeka Mikulasikova (23) during Thursday's NCAA Division I women's basketball game on January 27, 2022, at Value City Arena in Columbus, Ohio

Michigan

Finally, the Wolverines sport a 24-6 overall record and 13-4 Big Ten record this season. You already know how they fare against the other Big Ten teams, but what about in their fourth, consecutive NCAA Tournament?

On the No. 3-seed Wolverines’ home court, they crushed American 74-39 in the first round and continued that beast power defeating Villanova 64-49 in the second round.

Michigan will meet No. 10-seed South Dakota in the Sweet 16 round.

Related stories on Indiana women's basketball

• NO ONE DESERVES WINS LIKE ALI PATBERG: Four Hoosiers played for the last time in Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall on Monday night to advance to the Sweet 16. One player who has five seasons of memories and 4,264 minutes of play invested into the program is guard Ali Patberg. CLICK HERE.
• NCAA WOMEN'S TOURNAMENT SWEET 16/ELITE EIGHT SCHEDULE: Here's a complete breakdown of the NCAA Women's Basketball Tournament Sweet 16/Elite Eight schedules with location and TV times for each region. CLICK HERE.
• INDIANA VS. PRINCETON PHOTO GALLERY: Scroll through 30 photos from Indiana's win over Princeton to advance to the Sweet Sixteen. Witness Indiana head coach Teri Moren crowd surf among her team and see Hoosier facial reactions following the final buzzer. CLICK HERE.