Big Ten Roundup (Sept. 29): Ohio State, Iowa Women's Basketball Ranked No. 4 and No. 6 in ESPN Top 25

ESPN published its preseason top 25 rankings for the women's college basketball season on Thursday, and ranked four Big Ten teams in the top 15. Specifically, ESPN ranked Ohio State and Iowa as two of the six best teams in the country.

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. — The 2023-24 college basketball season is almost here. 

Following a season where a Big Ten team in the Iowa Hawkeyes finished as the national runner-up, and where the final top 25 coaches poll ranked four Big Ten teams in the top seven, there are big things expected out of this conference in 2023-24. 

ESPN's Charlie Creme published his preseason top-25 rankings on Thursday, and he ranked three Big Ten teams inside the top 10, while also having Maryland ranked at No. 13 overall. 

Coach Teri Moren and the Indiana Hoosiers were ranked No. 10 overall by Creme, while Ohio State and Iowa led the way at No. 4 and No. 6, respectively. 

Here's everything you need to know in today's Big Ten Roundup:

Women's College Basketball Top 25

Caitlin Clark and her Iowa Hawkeyes might be the team that everyone thinks of first when Big Ten women's basketball. However, it's Jacy Sheldon, Cotie McMahon and coach Kevin McGuff's Ohio State Buckeyes that rank the highest in ESPN's preseason top 25. 

ESPN Preseason Top 25

1. LSU
2. UConn
3. UCLA
4. Ohio State
5. Utah
6. Iowa
7. Virginia Tech
8. South Carolina
9. Tennessee
10. Indiana
11. Notre Dame
12. Ole Miss
13. Maryland
14. Baylor
15. Louisville
16. Stanford
17. North Carolina
18. USC
19. Texas
20. Florida State
21. Mississippi State
22. Colorado
23. Creighton
24. Kansas State
25. Washington State

Ohio State earned a No. 3 seed in last season's NCAA Tournament, and reached the Elite Eight before bowing out to No. 1 seed Virginia Tech. Likewise, Moren and the Indiana Hoosiers earned a No. 1 seed, but lost in the second round to a No. 9 seed in Miami, Fl. 

Led by coach Brenda Frese and superstar Diamond Miller, the Maryland women's basketball team earned a No. 2 seed in the NCAA Tournament and reached the Elite Eight before falling to the then-undefeated South Carolina Gamecocks. Coach Dawn Staley and South Carolina would of course be defeated in the Final Four by Clark and the Iowa Hawkeyes. 

It's clear that the quartet of Iowa, Ohio State, Indiana and Maryland are the favorites to win the Big Ten in 2023-24. Within that group of four, both ESPN and The Athletic have ranked Iowa and Ohio State as the clear top two, with Indiana right behind. Maryland is projected to finish as the conference's fourth-best team by both media outlets, while Illinois was also ranked No. 21 overall in The Athletic's preseason top 25. 

The Athletic's Preseason Top 25

1. LSU
2. UConn
3. UCLA
4. South Carolina
5. Utah
6. Iowa
7. Ohio State
8. Virginia Tech
9. Indiana
10. Texas
11. Notre Dame
12. Tennessee
13. North Carolina
14. Ole Miss
15. Maryland
16. Florida State
17. Colorado
18. Stanford
19. Louisville
20. Baylor
21. Illinois
22. USC
23. N.C. State
24. Creighton
25. Texas A&M

The 2023-24 women's college basketball season kicks off on Nov. 6, when Purdue travels across the country to play national title contender UCLA at Pauley Pavilion. Additionally, the first day of the Big Ten basketball season will feature an Ohio State vs USC neutral site game in Las Vegas. 

Related Stories on Big Ten:

• IUWBB RANKED NO. 9 IN PRESEASON TOP 25: The Athletic published its preseason top 25 rankings for the 2023-24 women's college basketball season, and ranked the Indiana Hoosiers at No. 9 overall in the country. CLICK HERE
• OHIO STATE VS NOTRE DAME GETS 10.5 MILLION VIEWERS: Saturday's heavyweight clash between the Ohio State Buckeyes and the Notre Dame Fighting Irish was one of the most-watched regular season college football games in the history of NBC. CLICK HERE
• ROBBIE HUMMEL LEAVING ESPN: The former Purdue Boilermaker and beloved college basketball color commentator is leaving ESPN to call Big Ten games for NBC and Fox this season. CLICK HERE
• WEEK 4 BIG TEN POWER RANKINGS: With one-third of the 2023 college football season concluded, the Big Ten conference has clearly separated into two groups of teams — the five that are definitively good and capable of winning a lot of games, and the other nine that have major, major problems. CLICK HERE