# 2021–22 Big Ten Conference women's basketball season

The 2021–22 Big Ten women's basketball season was expected to begin with practices in October 2021, followed by the start of the 2021–22 NCAA Division I women's basketball season in November 2021. The regular season ended in March, 2022.

## Regular season

The conference schedule was released on September 8.

### Records against other conferences

2021–22 records against non-conference foes as of (January 2, 2022):
| Power 7 Conferences | Record |
| American | 3–0 |
| ACC | 7–13 |
| Big East | 5–3 |
| Big 12 | 2–5 |
| Pac-12 | 2–4 |
| SEC | 2–4 |
| Power 7 Conferences total | 21–29 |
| Other NCAA Division I conferences | Record |
| America East | 3–2 |
| A-10 | 2–3 |
| ASUN | 3–2 |
| Big Sky | 0–0 |
| Big South | 1–0 |
| Big West | 2–0 |
| CAA | 5–0 |
| C-USA | 4–1 |
| Horizon | 6–3 |
| Ivy League | 1–0 |
| MAAC | 6–0 |
| MAC | 8–1 |
| MEAC | 6–0 |
| MVC | 10–3 |
| Mountain West | 3–0 |
| NEC | 7–1 |
| OVC | 1–1 |
| Patriot League | 2–0 |
| SoCon | 1–0 |
| Southland | 0–0 |
| SWAC | 4–0 |
| Summit | 3–0 |
| Sun Belt | 1–0 |
| WAC | 0–1 |
| WCC | 1–0 |
| Other Division I total | 80–18 |
| Division II total | 0–0 |
| NCAA Division I total | 100–47 |
| Power 7 Conferences | Record |
| American | 0–0 |
| ACC | 0–0 |
| Big East | 0–0 |
| Big 12 | 0–0 |
| Pac-12 | 0–0 |
| SEC | 0–0 |
| Power 7 Conferences total | 0–0 |
| Other NCAA Division I Conferences | Record |
| America East | 0–0 |
| A-10 | 0–0 |
| ASUN | 0–0 |
| Big Sky | 0–0 |
| Big South | 0–0 |
| Big West | 0–0 |
| CAA | 0–0 |
| C-USA | 0–0 |
| Horizon | 0–0 |
| Ivy League | 0–0 |
| MAAC | 0–0 |
| MAC | 0–0 |
| MEAC | 0–0 |
| MVC | 0–0 |
| Mountain West | 0–0 |
| NEC | 0–0 |
| OVC | 0–0 |
| Patriot League | 0–0 |
| SoCon | 0–0 |
| Southland | 0–0 |
| SWAC | 0–0 |
| Summit | 0–0 |
| Sun Belt | 0–0 |
| WAC | 0–0 |
| WCC | 0–0 |
| Other Division I total | 0–0 |
| NCAA Division I total | 0–0 |

### Record against ranked non-conference opponents

This is a list of games against ranked opponents only (rankings from the AP poll):
| Date | Visitor | Home | Site | Significance | Score | Conf. record |
| Nov 14 | No. 13 Kentucky | No. 8 Indiana | Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall ● Bloomington, IN | — | W 88–67 | 1–0 |
| Nov 20 | Minnesota | No. 2 Connecticut † | Imperial Arena ● Paradise Island, Bahamas | Battle 4 Atlantis | L 58–88 | 1–1 |
| Nov 21 | No. 6 Baylor | No. 3 Maryland | Xfinity Center ● College Park, MD | ― | W 79–76 | 2–1 |
| Nov 25 | No. 5 NC State | No. 2 Maryland † | Baha Mar Convention Center ● Nassau, Bahamas | Baha Mar Hoops Pink Flamingo Championship | L 60–78 | 2–2 |
| Nov 25 | No. 7 Stanford | No. 4 Indiana † | Baha Mar Convention Center ● Nassau, Bahamas | Baha Mar Hoops Pink Flamingo Championship | L 66–69 | 2–3 |
| Nov 25 | No. 22 West Virginia | Purdue † | Eckerd College ● St. Petersburg, FL | St. Pete Showcase | L 57–65 | 2–4 |
| Nov 26 | No. 16 Oregon State | No. 12 Michigan † | Ocean Center ● Daytona Beach, FL | Daytona Beach Invitational | W 61–52 | 3–4 |
| Nov 27 | No. 7 Stanford | No. 2 Maryland † | Baha Mar Convention Center ● Nassau, Bahamas | Baha Mar Hoops Pink Flamingo Championship | L 68–86 | 3–5 |
| Nov 27 | No. 9 Arizona | Rutgers † | Sports and Fitness Center ● Saint Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands | Paradise Jam | L 44–80 | 3–6 |
| Nov 27 | Penn State | No. 13 Iowa State † | Hertz Arena ● Estero, FL | Gulf Coast Showcase | L 59–93 | 3–7 |
| Nov 27 | No. 17 Florida State | Purdue † | Eckerd College ● St. Petersburg, FL | St. Pete Showcase | W 66–61 | 4–7 |
| Nov 27 | No. 23 Texas A&M | Northwestern † | Sports and Fitness Center ● Saint Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands | Paradise Jam | L 68–77 | 4–8 |
| Dec 2 | No. 2т NC State | No. 6 Indiana | Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall ● Bloomington, IN | ACC–Big Ten Women's Challenge | L 58–66 | 4–9 |
| Dec 2 | No. 12 Michigan | No. 10 Louisville | KFC Yum! Center ● Louisville, KY | ACC–Big Ten Women's Challenge | L 48–70 | 4–10 |
| Dec 2 | No. 24 Notre Dame | Michigan State | Breslin Center ● East Lansing, MI | ACC–Big Ten Women's Challenge | L 71–76 | 4–11 |
| Dec 2 | No. 25 Florida State | Illinois | State Farm Center ● Champaign, IL | ACC–Big Ten Women's Challenge | L 58–67 | 4–12 |
| Dec 8 | No. 12 Iowa | No. 15 Iowa State | Hilton Coliseum ● Ames, IA | Iowa Corn Cy-Hawk Series | L 70–77 | 4–13 |
| Dec 12 | No. 8 Maryland | No. 1 South Carolina | Colonial Life Arena ● Columbia, SC | Jimmy V Classic | L 59–66 | 4–14 |
| Dec 19 | No. 5 Baylor | No. 13 Michigan † | Mohegan Sun Arena ● Uncasville, CT | Basketball Hall of Fame Women's Showcase | W 74–68 $^{(OT)}$ | 5–14 |
Team rankings are reflective of AP poll when the game was played, not current or final ranking.
† denotes game was played on neutral site

## Head coaches
### Coaching changes prior to the season
#### Purdue

On March 26, 2021; Purdue announced the 2021–22 season will be the last year of the "Versyp Era" at Purdue, with Katie Gearlds joining the Lady Boilers' staff and then succeeding Versyp as the head coach after the 2021–22 season. The Journal & Courier reported on August 18, 2021 that Purdue University was investigating allegations that Versyp created a "toxic and hostile environment," including verbally attacking players and bullying a member of her coaching staff. It was announced on September 16, 2021 that Versyp would be retiring and replaced by Gearlds a year earlier than originally planned.

#### Wisconsin

On March 9, 2021, the Badgers fired Jonathan Tsipis after five years as head coach. On March 25, 2021, Marisa Moseley was named the eighth head coach in Badgers history.

### Coaches

| Team | Head coach | Previous job | Years at school | Overall record | Big Ten record | Big Ten titles | Big Ten tournament titles | NCAA tournaments | NCAA Final Fours | NCAA championships |
| Illinois | Nancy Fahey | Washington (MO) | 5 | 35–79 | 6–64 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Indiana | Teri Moren | Indiana State | 8 | 148–79 | 72–50 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| Iowa | Lisa Bluder | Drake | 22 | 436–232 | 219–138 | 1 | 2 | 15 | 0 | 0 |
| Maryland | Brenda Frese | Minnesota | 20 | 512–131 | 109–13 | 6 | 5 | 17 | 3 | 1 |
| Michigan | Kim Barnes Arico | St. John's (Asst.) | 10 | 193–102 | 86–64 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 |
| Michigan State | Suzy Merchant | Eastern Michigan | 15 | 296–157 | 144–93 | 2 | 0 | 10 | 0 | 0 |
| Minnesota | Lindsay Whalen | Minnesota Lynx (Player) | 4 | 44–37 | 20–31 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Nebraska | Amy Williams | South Dakota | 6 | 72–75 | 39–48 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Northwestern | Joe McKeown | George Washington | 14 | 223–186 | 94–128 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| Ohio State | Kevin McGuff | Washington | 9 | 169–84 | 91–45 | 2 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 0 |
| Penn State | Carolyn Kieger | Marquette | 3 | 16–38 | 7–30 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Purdue | Katie Gearlds | Marian | 1 | 0–0 | 0–0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Rutgers | C. Vivian Stringer | Iowa | 27 | 535–291 | 63–52 | 0 | 0 | 17 | 2 | 0 |
| Wisconsin | Marisa Moseley | Boston University | 1 | 0–0 | 0–0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Notes:
* All records, appearances, titles, etc. are from time with current school only.
* Year at school includes 2021–22 season.
* Overall and Big Ten records are from time at current school and are through the beginning of the season.
* ↑ Frese's ACC conference record excluded since Maryland began Big Ten Conference play in 2014–15
* ↑ Stringer's Big East and American conference records excluded since Rutgers began Big Ten Conference play in 2014–15

### Preseason national polls
## Postseason
### Big Ten tournament

Iowa won the conference tournament from March 2 to March 6, 2022, at the Gainbridge Fieldhouse, Indianapolis, Indiana. All 14 teams from the conference play at the tournament. The top 10 teams receive a first-round bye and the top four teams receive a double bye. Teams were seeded by conference record, with ties broken by record between the tied teams followed by record of all Division I opponents, after coin toss if necessary.

## Bracket

* All times are Eastern.
| First round Wednesday, March 2 BTN | First round Wednesday, March 2 BTN | First round Wednesday, March 2 BTN | Second round Thursday, March 3 BTN | Second round Thursday, March 3 BTN | Second round Thursday, March 3 BTN | Quarterfinals Friday, March 4 BTN | Quarterfinals Friday, March 4 BTN | Quarterfinals Friday, March 4 BTN | | | Semifinals Saturday, March 5 BTN | Semifinals Saturday, March 5 BTN | Semifinals Saturday, March 5 BTN | Championship Sunday, March 6 ESPN2 | Championship Sunday, March 6 ESPN2 | Championship Sunday, March 6 ESPN2 |
| | | | | | | 1 | Ohio State | 74 | | | | | | |
| | | | 8 | Michigan State | 73 | 8 | Michigan State | 58 | | | | | | | | |
| | | | 9 | Purdue | 69 | | | | | | 1 | Ohio State | 62 | |
| | | | | | | | | | 5 | Indiana | 70 | | | |
| | | | | | | 4 | Maryland | 51 | | | | | | | |
| | | | 5 | Indiana | 66 | 5 | Indiana | 62 | | | | | | | |
| 12 | Penn State | 50 | 13 | Rutgers | 54 | | | | | | | | 5 | Indiana | 67 |
| 13 | Rutgers | 75 | | | | | | | | | | | 5 | 2 | Iowa | 74 |
| | | | | | | 2 | Iowa | 72 | | | | | | | | |
| | | | 7 | Northwestern | 65 | 7 | Northwestern | 59 | | | | | | | | |
| | | | 10 | Minnesota | 60 | | | | | | 2 | Iowa | 83 | | | |
| | | | | | | | | | 6 | Nebraska | 66 | | | | | |
| | | | | | | 3 | Michigan | 73 | | | | | | | | |
| | | | 6 | Nebraska | 92 | 6 | Nebraska | 76 | | | | | | | | |
| 11 | Wisconsin | 66 | 14 | Illinois | 74 | | | | | | | | | | | |
| 14 | Illinois | 75 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
* denotes overtime period

### NCAA tournament

Six teams from the conference were selected to participate: Iowa (as Big Ten tournament champion), and five others at-large bids: Indiana, Maryland, Michigan, Nebraska and Ohio State.
| Seed | Region | School | First round | Second round | Sweet Sixteen | Elite Eight | Final Four | Championship |
| No. 2 | Greensboro Regional | Iowa | defeated No. 15 Illinois State 98–58 | lost to No. 10 Creighton 62–64 | – | – | – | – |
| No. 3 | Bridgeport Regional | Indiana | defeated No. 14 Charlotte 85–51 | defeated No. 11 Princeton 56–55 | lost to No. 2 Connecticut 58–75 | – | – | – |
| No. 3 | Wichita Regional | Michigan | defeated No. 14 American 74–39 | defeated No. 11 Villanova 64–49 | defeated No. 10 South Dakota 52–49 | lost to No. 1 Louisville 50–62 | – | – |
| No. 4 | Spokane Regional | Maryland | defeated No. 13 Delaware 102–71 | defeated No. 12 Florida Gulf Coast 89–65 | lost to No. 1 Stanford 66–72 | – | – | – |
| No. 6 | Spokane Regional | Ohio State | defeated No. 11 Missouri State 63–56 | defeated No. 3 LSU 79–64 | lost to No. 2 Texas 63–66 | – | – | – |
| No. 8 | Wichita Regional | Nebraska | lost to No. 9 Gonzaga 55–68 | – | – | – | – | – |
| | 6 Bids | W-L (%): | 5–1 (.833) | 4–1 (.800) | 1–3 (.250) | 0–1 (.000) | 0–0 (–) | TOTAL: 10–6 (.625) |

### National Invitation Tournament

Two teams from the conference were selected to participate: Minnesota and Purdue. The Big Ten conference rejected their automatic berth, the two teams qualify from at-large bids.
| Bracket | School | First round | Second round | Third round | Quarterfinals | Semifinals | Final |
| Region 3 | Minnesota | defeated Green Bay 73−65 | lost to South Dakota State 57−78 | – | – | – | – |
| Region 4 | Purdue | defeated Southern Illinois 82−60 | lost to Marquette 62−77 | – | – | – | – |
| | 2 Bids | 2–0 (1.000) | 0–2 (.000) | 0–0 (–) | 0–0 (–) | 0–0 (–) | TOTAL: 2–2 (.500) |
* Index to colors and formatting
* Big Ten member won
* Big Ten member lost