Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1430714
4 2 D E C E M B E R 2 0 2 1 W W W . B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M 1. Maryland This seems like a safe pick. The Terrapins have been the Big Ten's best program from the moment they joined in 2014, having won or shared the league's regular-season title in six of their seven Big Ten seasons, including last season when they went 17-1. The return of all five starters, including a pair of All-Americans, junior guards Ashley Owusu and Diamond Miller, should ensure the Terps stay atop the standings. 2. Indiana The Hoosiers are going places under eighth-year coach Teri Moren. Last season, they reached the Elite Eight for the first time since 1983, and their No. 8 ranking in this year's preseason Associated Press poll was the best in school history. Five starters are back, including a pair of first- team All-Big Ten choices: senior guard Grace Berger and junior forward Mackenzie Holmes. 3. Iowa Bad news for the rest of the Big Ten: Caitlin Clark is only a sophomore. The 6-foot guard made a spectacular debut last year, leading the nation in scoring at 26.6 points per game, finishing second nationally in assists at 7.1 per game and lifting Iowa to a Sweet 16 appearance. A big part of Clark's success as a passer was that all- conference center Monika Czinano converted at a 67.8 percent clip. Czinano is back for her senior year, so that's more bad news for the rest of the league. 4. Michigan The Wolverines have a terrific tandem in senior forward Naz Hillmon and senior guard Leigha Brown. Hillmon, who led the Big Ten last season with an average of 11.6 rebounds per game and was second in scoring at 23.9 points a contest, shared the league's preseason Player of the Year honors with Iowa's Clark. The Wolverines will be looking to build on a 2020-21 season in which they reached the Sweet 16 for the first time in school history. 5. Ohio State The Buckeyes should have an outstanding backcourt, with well-traveled guard Taylor Mikesell joining All-Big Ten players Jacy Shel- don and Madison Greene. Mikesell has had an interesting journey, starting at Maryland, where she shared Big Ten Freshman of the Year honors with Michi- gan's Hillmon in 2019, leaving for Oregon and now returning to the Big Ten. 6. Michigan State Senior guard Nia Clouden leads the way for the Spartans. She averaged 18.7 points and 3.9 assists last year, helping Michigan State go 15-9. The Spartans' season ended with a loss to Iowa State in the first round of the NCAA Tourna- ment, but with Clouden back, they've got the ability to go further this year. 7. Rutgers Rutgers announced earlier this month that veteran coach C. Vivian Stringer will miss the season due to concerns about COVID. In her place, the Scarlet Knights will turn to associate head coach Tim Eatman. Despite its coaching up- heaval, Rutgers has built a solid lineup that's been bolstered by the addition of six transfers and a juco All-American in guard Awa Sidibe. The Scarlet Knights should not be underestimated. 8. Northwestern Guard Veronica Burton is coming off a junior season in which she led the nation in steals, while senior guard Sydney Wood was third in the Big Ten in that same category. The Wildcats ranked third in the league in scoring defense last season, allowing only 61.1 points per game. They'll be a tough matchup again this year. 9. Penn State The Lady Lions are entering the third year of Carolyn Kieger's turnaround project. At Kieger's previous school, Marquette, the Golden Eagles made a huge improvement at a similar juncture, going from 14-16 in Year 2 to 25-8 in Year 3. It would be unfair to expect such a dramatic upswing from Penn State given the caliber of the competition. But Kieger has said that making the NCAA Tourna- ment is the goal this year. If everything goes right — if Kelley Jekot stays healthy and fellow sixth- year senior guard Niya Beverley continues to rank among the national leaders in assist-to-turnover ratio — the Lady Lions might just be ready to jump a few Big Ten teams and put themselves in that conversation. 10. Nebraska Four starters return for the Cornhuskers, includ- ing second-team All-Big Ten guard Sam Haiby. As a junior last season, Haiby was the only player to rank in the Big Ten's top 15 in scoring (16.8 points), rebounding (6.8) and assists (4.4) per game. 11. Minnesota The Gophers return 12 players from a team that finished 8-13 last season, including all five of last year's season-ending starters. Junior guards Jas- mine Powell and Sara Scalia both averaged 14.5 points per game and are among the returnees. 12. Purdue Former All-American Katie Gearlds has taken over as coach at her alma mater and will look to get the Boilermakers turned around after they went 7-16 last season. Guards Madison Layden and Cassidy Hardin will figure prominently in those efforts. 13. Illinois Coach Nancy Fahey is a Division III legend, having won 737 games and five national championships in 31 seasons at Washington University in St. Louis. But the move to Division I has been a struggle. She's gone 35-79 in four sea- sons with the Illini and is coming off a 2020-21 campaign in which her team averaged a Big Ten-low 59.6 points per game. 14. Wisconsin Like the Boilermakers, the Badgers have a new head coach. Marisa Mose- ley was a part of five national championships as an assistant at Connecticut, and she was the Patriot League Coach of the Year in 2019 after turning around a Boston University program that had gone 26-63 prior to her arrival. She's got another rebuild on her hands in Madison, where the Badgers are coming off a 5-19 finish last year. – Matt Herb Sophomore forward Ali Brigham, a transfer from George Washington, reached the 20-point plateau in her first two games for Penn State. PHOTO BY MARK SELDERS/PENN STATE ATHLETICS Big Ten Power Rankings