2026 Big Ten women's tournament begins in Indianapolis
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The Hoosiers enter tourney season with a hot hand. Photo: Michael Hickey/Getty Images
Some of the nation's top women's college basketball players are back in Indianapolis this week to battle for the Big Ten title.
Why it matters: The Big Ten Women's Basketball Tournament is our first taste of madness as Indianapolis prepares to become college hoops headquarters over the next four weeks.
The intrigue: While not at the top of the conference, both the Indiana Hoosiers and the Purdue Boilermakers entered the fray with momentum following strong finishes to their regular seasons.
- Before the Big Ten's expansion to 18 teams, every program got an invite. Now, only the top 15 teams make the cut.
- Indiana secured the 13th seed by winning six of their last eight games.
- The Boilers, who missed the tournament last year, locked down the 14th seed with a clutch victory over Northwestern on Sunday.
Yes, but: Only one Indiana team remains after the start of tournament play Wednesday at Gainbridge Fieldhouse.
- Purdue is out after losing to No. 11 Oregon 82-64.
- Indiana is moving on after coming back from a 20-point deficit to beat No. 12 Nebraska 72-69.
Flashback: Indianapolis has hosted this tournament 28 times since it began in 1982.
- Eight different programs have won it all, with Iowa winning three championships during its Caitlin Clark era from 2022-24.
- UCLA won the 2025 title to cap a successful first year in the Big Ten. The Bruins enter the 2026 tournament as the top seed with a perfect 18-0 conference record.
State of play: The tournament continues with four games Thursday and Friday; two games Saturday; and the championship game at 2:15pm Sunday.
- The Hoosiers will play No. 5 Ohio State Thursday afternoon.
- Check out the full broadcast schedule here.
- Tickets for the title game start at $55.
What's next: A lot more college basketball.
- Including the Big Ten Women's Tournament, Indianapolis will host six tournaments or championship games between now and April 6, including the Men's Final Four.
Here's the rest of the schedule:
Horizon League Men & Women's Basketball Tournament: March 8-10 at Corteva Coliseum.
2026 National Invitation Tournament (NIT): April 2 and 5 at Hinkle Fieldhouse.
NCAA Men's Final Four: April 4 and 6 at Lucas Oil Stadium.
NCAA Division II and Division III Men's Championships: April 5 at Gainbridge Fieldhouse.