Big Ten women’s basketball tournament 2026: Bracket, schedule and scores
UCLA went unbeaten in the Big Ten in the regular season — can they also capture the tournament crown in Indy?
By
Isabel Gonzalez
Mar 6, 2026
at
10:53 am ET
•
1 min read
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The Big Ten is getting together for its annual conference tournament at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis this week. Action tipped off Wednesday afternoon, and Sunday’s championship game airs on CBS. UCLA was the outright champion of the conference regular season title after completing the first perfect Big Ten season in more than a decade. The Bruins are the No. 1 seed for the conference tournament and have likely already locked in a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament.
UCLA and the other top women’s basketball teams in the conference will start Big Ten Tournament play Friday after receiving double-byes through to the quarterfinals.
Iowa is the No. 2 seed for the Big Ten Tournament as Jan Jensen continues to succeed in the post-Lisa Bluder and post-Caitlin Clark era. Earlier this season, the Hawkeyes got three consecutive wins against top-15 opponents for the first time in program history.
The biggest surprise this season has been Minnesota, a team that has not been to the NCAA Tournament since 2018. The Gophers are not just set to return to the Big Dance, they are projected to host for the first time since 2005. They earned the No. 4 seed in the Big Ten Tournament and will face Ohio State on Friday afternoon.
Women’s basketball Big Ten Tournament bracket
The bracket is set 👀
Grab your tickets ➡️ https://t.co/JhPaf32GAJ pic.twitter.com/p8oI2zackB
— Big Ten Women’s Basketball (@B1Gwbball) March 2, 2026
Women’s basketball Big Ten Tournament schedule
All times Eastern
Wednesday, March 4 — First Round
Game 1: No. 13 Indiana 72, No. 12 Nebraska 69
Game 2: No. 10 Illinois 82, No. 15 Wisconsin 70
Game 3: No. 11 Oregon 82, No. 14 Purdue 64
Thursday, March 5 — Second Round
Game 4: No. 8 Washington 76, No. 9 USC 64
Game 5: No. 5 Ohio State 83, No. 13 Indiana 59
Game 6: No. 10 Illinois 71, No. 7 Michigan State 69
Game 7: No. 11 Oregon 73, No. 6 Maryland 68
Friday, March 6 — Quarterfinals
Game 8: Washington vs. No. 1 UCLA — 12 p.m. (Big Ten Network)
Game 9: Ohio State vs. No. 4 Minnesota — 25 min. after Game 8 (BTN)
Game 10: Illinois vs. No. 2 Iowa– 6:30 p.m. (BTN)
Game 11: Oregon vs. No. 3 Michigan — 25 min. after Game 10 (BTN)
Saturday, March 7 – Semifinals
Game 12: Game 8 winner vs. Game 9 winner — 2 p.m. (BTN)
Game 13: Game 10 winner vs. Game 11 winner — 4:30 p.m. (BTN)
Sunday, March 8 — Championship
Title game: Game 12 winner vs. Game 13 winner — 2:15 p.m. (CBS)
