2024 Big Ten Women's Basketball Tournament: Semifinal Preview

Friday was full of upsets in the Big Ten Women's Basketball Tournament. It sets up an interesting Saturday in Minneapolis. No. 5 Nebraska will play No. 8 Maryland and No. 2 Iowa battles No. 6 Michigan with a trip to the championship game at stake.

Well, apparently that double-bye doesn't mean much in the Big Ten Women's Basketball Tournament this year. Only one of the top-four seeds (No. 2 Iowa) advanced to Saturday's semifinal round. 

Not to get too simplistic with the cliches, but they call this March Madness for a reason.

Friday started off with No. 8 Maryland blowing out top-seeded Ohio State 82-61, the first of many surprising outcomes. No. 5 Nebraska then knocked off No. 4 Michigan State in the second game of the afternoon session.

No. 2 Iowa had little issue with No. 7 Penn State, winning by a 32-point margin to return to the semifinal round. Finally, No. 6 Michigan stunned No. 3 Indiana, overcoming a 17-point deficit to pull out the victory and advance to Saturday.

Here's a look at Saturday's semifinal round of the Big Ten Women's Basketball Tournament. Both games will air on the Big Ten Network.

View the complete Big Ten Women's Basketball Tournament bracket here.

No. 8 Maryland vs. No. 5 Nebraska

• Time: 2 p.m. ET
• TV: Big Ten Network
• Game: No. 11

Preview

• Maryland record: 19-12 (9-9 in Big Ten)
• Nebraska record: 21-10 (11-7 in Big Ten
• Regular season meeting(s): Nebraska def. Maryland 87-81 on Dec. 31.

Maryland showed some serious firepower in Friday's win over Ohio State. Shyanne Sellers scored a game-high 25 points, Brinae Alexadnder and Jakia Brown-Turner each added 19 and Faith Masonius had a 25-point, 11-rebound double-double. Most impressively, the Terps got the job done on the boards, winning the rebounding battle 55-31.

Nebraska found success in similar fashion, defeating Michigan State 73-61 thanks to a 44-30 rebounding advantage. The Huskers were phenomenal in the second and third quarters, outscoring the Spartans 41-20 in that 20-minute stretch. Alexis Markowski was brilliant, scoring 22 points and grabbing 12 rebounds. Natalie Potts also had a big game with 15 points and 11 boards. 

Expect a physical matchup in the painted area between Nebraska and Maryland. The team that knocks down more 3-point shots could very easily be the team advancing the the championship game on Sunday.

Maryland players to watch

• Shyanne Sellers, junior: The 6-foot-2 guard can do literally anything on the court. Sellers has flirted with a triple-double on a few occasions this season and is also capable of scoring at a high rate. She enters the Big Ten Tournament averaging 15.3 points, 5.9 rebounds and 5.3 assists per game. Sellers was a first-team All-Big Ten selection.
• Jakia Brown-Turner, senior: Brown-Turner may not be the tallest player on the floor (6-foot), but she's been Maryland's top rebounder this season, grabbing 6.5 boards per game. She can also put the ball in the hoop, scoring 32 points in 31 minutes in a win over Penn State.
• Brinae Alexander, senior: Alexander is probably the best threat for the Terrapins behind the 3-point line, hitting at a 38.1% mark for the year. Teams will have to account for her ability to knock down shots from the perimeter.

Nebraska players to watch

• Alexis Markowski, junior: Markowski has been a walking double-double this season, recording 17 for the year. Her best outing came in a win over Purdue, scoring 20 points and grabbing 21 rebounds. The 6-foot-3 center has been tough for most teams to defend in the low post. Markowski was a first-team All-Big Ten selection.
• Jaz Shelley, senior: While she's capable of scoring, Shelley can be most dangerous as a distributor, dishing out 5.2 assists per game this season. The senior has recorded six assists or more in each of the final four games of the regular season. She also hit double-digit scoring totals three times in that stretch.
• Natalie Potts, freshman: Voted the Freshman of the Year by Big Ten coaches, Potts has been a tremendous addition for Nebraska this season. She's averaging 10.5 points and 5.4 rebounds per game while making 52% of her shots from the floor. Potts hasn't been afraid to step into a significant role and contribute.

No. 6 Michigan vs. No. 2 Iowa

• Time: 25 minutes after Game 11
• TV: Big Ten Network
• Game: No. 12

Preview

• Michigan record: 20-12 (9-9 in Big Ten)
• Iowa record: 27-4 (15-3 in Big Ten)
• Regular season meeting(s): Iowa def. Michigan 106-89 on Feb. 15. 

It was the tale of two halves for Michigan in Friday night's win over Indiana. The Wolverines trailed Indiana by as many as 17 points before rallying in the final 20 minutes to upset the Hoosiers. Michigan didn't shoot a ton of 3-pointers, but it was effective behind the arc, knocking down six-of-14 attempts. The Wolverines defense also held the Hoosiers to just 36% shooting for the night. Laila Phelia had a special performance, scoring 30 points in the win.

Even though Caitlin Clark struggled to find her shot, Iowa still took care of Penn State with relative ease. Clark missed her first 11 shots from 3-point range, but co-stars like Gabbie Marshall, Sydney Affolter and Taylor McCabe combined to make 11-of-19 to provide the Hawkeyes with a boost. Clark finished the contest with 24 points and 10 rebounds, while Affolter had 18 points and nine rebounds and Kate Martin had 11 points and nine boards.

Saturday's game really comes down to one thing: Can Michigan's defense slow down Iowa's offense? If it can, we might have a fun game in Minneapolis.

Michigan players to watch

• Laila Phelia, junior: Phelia is Michigan's top scorer, averaging 16 points per game. She was a first-team All-Big Ten selection at the end of the regular season, largely because of her effectiveness on both ends of the floor. She's also one of the team's top defenders, averaging 1.3 steals per game.
• Lauren Hansen, senior: Teams will have to keep an eye on Hansen regardless of where she stands on the floor. She's shooting nearly 42% from the floor and is a 36.5% 3-point shooter this season. Small note, but Hansen also hasn't missed a free throw since Jan. 31.
• Jordan Hobbs, junior: Hobbs is a solid all-around player for the Wolverines and is the top passer with 2.9 assists per game. She's also been a reliable guard, shooting at a 43.2% clip and logging nearly 29 minutes per game, the second-highest average on the team.

Iowa players to watch

• Caitlin Clark, senior: Clark needs no introduction, as she's well on her way to winning the National Player of the Year Award for a second straight season. The senior is averaging 32.3 points per game this season, the top scoring average in women's college basketball. She's also dishing out 8.7 assists and collecting 7.3 rebounds per contest for the Hawkeyes.
• Hannah Stuelke, sophomore: The sophomore has improved quite a bit from her freshman campaign, becoming the second-best scorer and rebounder for Iowa this season, averaging 14.4 points and 6.9 rebounds per game. If teams put too much emphasis on Clark, Stuelke is capable of having a a big night.
• Kate Martin, senior: Martin is the only other Hawkeye averaging double figures this season, scoring 13 points per game. The 6-foot senior has been efficient when shooting the ball, connecting on a 52.2% rate. 

Related Big Ten stories

• BIG TEN WOMEN'S BASKETBALL AWARDS: The Big Ten has announced the individual award winners and all-conference teams for the 2023-24 women's college basketball season. Iowa's Caitlin Clark was named the Player of the Year and Ohio State's Kevin McGuff was the Big Ten Coach of the Year. CLICK HERE
• THREE BIG TEN WBB PLAYERS TOP NIL SALES LIST: Three Big Ten women's basketball players — Iowa's Hannah Stuelke and Molly Davis and Purdue's Mary Ashley Stevenson — were among the top sellers at the NIL Store for the month of February. CLICK HERE