Indiana and Nebraska to play in the First Game of the 2026 Allstate Big Ten Women’s Basketball Tournament on Wednesday The Big Ten Conference announced the full bracket on Sunday for the 2026 Allstate Big Ten Women’s Basketball Tournament, which will take place March 4-8 at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis. Single-session tickets are on sale and available for $23.50 to $54.45, depending on the session. Prices are inclusive of all Ticketmaster and facility fees. All seating is reserved for the 2026 Allstate Big Ten Women’s Basketball Tournament. Fans are encouraged to visit the official Big Ten Women’s Basketball Tournament website ( bigten.org/WBBT ) and follow Big Ten Women’s Basketball on X ( @B1GWBBall ) for more information on the 2026 Allstate Big Ten Women’s Basketball Tournament. All 14 games of this year’s tournament will be broadcast live to a national audience, starting with the opening round being streamed on Peacock. The Big Ten Network (and the FOX Sports app) will broadcast the second round through semifinal games from Thursday to Saturday. The championship game on Sunday, March 8, will tip off at 2:15 p.m. ET on CBS, the third time the network has carried the title game.
Defending Big Ten Tournament Champion UCLA (28-1, 18-0 Big Ten) is the No. 1 seed this year after clinching its first-ever Big Ten regular-season crown. The Bruins have been ranked in the top four of the Associated Press (AP) and the Women’s Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA)/USA Today polls all season and are currently ranked second. UCLA also earned the No. 2 national seed in the NCAA Committee’s final top 16 reveal on Sunday. The Bruins will open Big Ten Tournament play on Friday with a quarterfinal at 12 p.m. ET against the winner of the second-round game between No. 8 seed Washington and No. 9 seed USC. Iowa (24-5, 15-3 Big Ten) claimed the No. 2 seed in this year’s bracket and is ranked ninth in both major national polls. The Hawkeyes, who garnered a No. 2 seed in the NCAA Committee’s reveal, own six Big Ten Tournament titles. Iowa’s postseason journey begins at 6:30 p.m. ET Friday with a quarterfinal game on the Big Ten Network. The winner of the first-round matchup between No. 10 seed Illinois and No. 15 seed Wisconsin will meet seventh-seeded Michigan State in the second round to battle for a chance to face the Hawkeyes in the quarterfinals.
Michigan (24-5, 15-3 Big Ten) earned the No. 3 seed for the tournament and is ranked eighth in both national polls. The Wolverines, who were tabbed as a No. 2 seed in the NCAA Committee’s reveal, are on a quest for their first Big Ten Tournament trophy. Michigan will open its postseason slate on Friday night against No. 6 seed Maryland, No. 11 seed Oregon or No. 14 seed Purdue. Rounding out the top four seeds is Minnesota (22-7, 13-5 Big Ten) with the last of the tournament’s double-byes into the quarterfinal round. The Golden Gophers have been ranked in the national polls each of the past two weeks and are seeking their first tournament crown. Minnesota’s postseason bid starts Friday afternoon against No. 5 seed Ohio State, No. 12 seed Nebraska or No. 13 seed Indiana in the quarterfinals.
The complete 2026 Allstate Big Ten Women’s Basketball Tournament schedule is as follows: Wednesday, March 4 – First Round Game 1 | #12 Nebraska vs. #13 Indiana | 3:30 p.m. ET | Peacock Game 2 | #10 Illinois vs. #15 Wisconsin | 25 minutes following Game 1 | Peacock Game 3 | #11 Oregon vs. #14 Purdue | 25 minutes following Game 2 | Peacock
Thursday, March 5 – Second Round Game 4 | #8 Washington vs. #9 USC | 12 p.m. ET | BTN Game 5 | #5 Ohio State vs. G1 Winner | 25 minutes following Game 4 | BTN Game 6 | #7 Michigan State vs. G2 Winner | 6:30 p.m. ET | BTN Game 7 | #6 Maryland vs. G3 Winner | 25 minutes following Game 6 | BTN
Friday, March 6 – Quarterfinals Game 8 | #1 UCLA vs. G4 Winner | 12 p.m. ET | BTN Game 9 | #4 Minnesota vs. G5 Winner | 25 minutes following Game 8 | BTN Game 10 | #2 Iowa vs. G6 Winner | 6:30 p.m. ET | BTN Game 11 | #3 Michigan vs. G7 Winner | 25 minutes following Game 10 | BTN
Saturday, March 7 – Semifinals Game 12 | G8 Winner vs. G9 Winner | 2 p.m. ET | BTN Game 13 | G10 Winner vs. G11 Winner | 4:30 p.m. ET | BTN
Sunday, March 8 – Championship Game 14 | G12 Winner vs. G13 Winner | 2:15 p.m. ET | CBS NOTES: All times are Eastern (local to site), approximate and subject to change…BTN games are also available on the FOX Sports app…CBS games are available on Paramount+, CBSSports.com and CBS Sports HQ…for more information, please visit the tournament central at bigten.org/WBBT .
Indiana University Wrestler Chris Crawford Named Male Scholar Athlete of the Month Indiana redshirt freshman wrestler Chris Crawford was named IU’s Male Scholar-Athlete of the Month for March. Crawford has displayed excellent work ethic both in the classroom and on the mat to achieve this honor. The Beacon, N.Y. native wrestles at 165 lbs. and has a 33-7 record on the season with six wins by major decision and four by tech fall to go along with 10 pins. The Fitness & Wellness major has also taken first place in four different open tournaments this season.
Indiana University Baseball Takes Down Western Kentucky in the Series Finale In the final game of a four-game set, the Indiana Baseball team (5-7, 0-0 B1G) played a fantastic all-around contest to salvage a series split with Western Kentucky (7-6, 0-0 B1G) at Nick Denes Field. The Hoosiers won 7-3 in the Sunday finale as IU’s pitching staff held off a potent offensive attack. The win was IU’s third true road win of the young season. Redshirt freshman Brayden Ricketts continued his fantastic stretch of play, launching two home runs in the win over Western Kentucky. His first-inning, three-run blast gave IU an early lead and it never looked back. Ricketts added a solo home run in the eighth inning for good measure. On the weekend, he hit .600 (9-15) with two home runs, seven RBIs, two doubles and four runs.
Senior right-handed pitcher Jackson Bergman offered another fantastic start on Sunday afternoon. He went five innings while allowing just two runs (one earned). All three of IU’s main starters worked into at least the fifth inning this weekend. Graduate student southpaw worked a season-best three innings out of the bullpen. Junior right-handed pitcher Jackson Yarberry came on to get the final three outs. IU’s offense struggled with runners in scoring position (3-17) but came through with clutch at-bats when it needed it the most. On top of Ricketts’ three run-producing hits, Denny offered up a sacrifice fly.
Sophomore shortstop Cooper Malamazian was the only other IU player with a multi-hit day. The Hoosiers are scheduled to return home this week to Bart Kaufman Field for the first full week of action. Northern Kentucky is set to come to town today before Washington makes the trek east for the first Big Ten weekend of the year (March 6-8). All four games will be carried on B1G+.
Indiana University Baseball Series Finale at Maryland to be Televised on the Big Ten Network The Big Ten Conference office announced that the series finale between Indiana and Maryland in College Park on Sunday, April 12th (Noon ET) will be broadcasted to a national audience on the Big Ten Network. It is one of 16 total league games to be picked up by the conference’s network partners. There will be five additional wild card games aired on Big Ten Network on the season’s final weekend. Those games will be picked in the final weeks of the season when the conference standings take full shape. The entirety of the Big Ten Tournament at Charles Schwab Field in Omaha will be on national television. Once again, the championship game is set for Sunday, May 24th at the sport’s most iconic venue.
IU and Maryland have played 17 times in the time that head coach Jeff Mercer has led the program in Bloomington. The Terrapins own a slight 9-8 edge in the series which included a sweep of IU at Bart Kaufman Field in 2023. The Hoosiers have turned the tides as of late, winning two of three games both in 2024 and 2025. IU outscored Maryland 34-12 in a series victory the last time the two sides played in College Park. The remainder of IU’s currently scheduled games will be played on B1G+. The conference slate begins this weekend (March 6-8) with a visit from Washington to Bart Kaufman Field.
Indy Ignite Extend their Winning Streak to Six Games after a Four Set Victory over the Omaha Supernovas The Indy Ignite continued their dominant season Sunday with a four-set victory over the Omaha Supernovas. It was a slow start for the Ignite as they dropped their opening set 17-25, but the team quickly turned things around and won the second set 25-22. The turnaround was attributed to the decision by head coach Lauren Bertolacci to put outside hitter Kayla Lund in for the second set. Lund, who saw her most extensive playing time in about a month due to a knee injury, finished with an incredible 14 kills and 10 digs. “Knowing the situation that we were in after the first set, that was my game plan,” Lund said. “Just come in and bring some joy and some life. Like Lauren says, I am a cleaner upper and I’m a proud cleaner upper. I play my best when I help out my teammates and I have the most fun when I do that. That was my focus: how can I make my teammates better; how can I help us.”
The Ignite took the third set despite allowing Omaha to close within 21-20. The fourth set wasn’t even close as Indy completely shut down the Supernovas 25-13 to seal their sixth-straight win — a franchise best. Four players were in double figures for the Ignite. Anna DeBeer led the team in scoring with 13 kills, three aces and three blocks for 19 total points. “We’ve had a great start but that doesn’t mean we need to stop working,” DeBeer said. “There’s so much game left, a lot of season left, so we’re really just going to take it game by game and we have a lot to improve on and we know that. If we can keep on doing that, it’ll be really good for us as we finish out this season.” Indy now has a full week off before returning to action Sunday, March 8 at the Fishers Event Center. That game will stream live and free on WTHR+.
Indiana Fever Guard Odyssey Sims wins the Athletes Unlimited 1 on 1 Title on her Fifth Try Odyssey Sims won the Athletes Unlimited championship Sunday after finishing second in each of the last two seasons of the four-week event. “I’m just happy,” Sims said with the winner’s medal around her neck along with a “GOAT” necklace. “Like, I finally did it. This means more to me than anything else right now.” Sims finished with 6,764 points under a scoring system that factors in team wins and individual performances, well ahead of second-place Aneesah Morrow, who had 5,344 points in her first season with AU Pro Basketball. Rebekah Gardner was third with 5,269 points followed by Tina Charles, the WNBA’s career leader in rebounds and field goals, with 4,875 points.
Sims, a guard who split last season between the WNBA’s Los Angeles Sparks and Indiana Fever, didn’t miss a game in this league’s first four seasons. Sims went from finishing sixth in the first season to third in 2023, and she was edged out by Maddy Siegrist last year. Sims said her experience from the start of the league could be considered cheating a bit. Athletes Unlimited features 41 players rotating through four teams while playing 24 games of 5-on-5 basketball. This was the league’s second season in Nashville. Teams change weekly, with the top four players serving as captains and drafting rosters for hands-on management and coaching experience.
“You have to get the hang of it,” Sims said of a format that can move a player not only between teams but into new roles from week to week. “The biggest thing is just being able to adjust to every situation. I’ve gotten the hang of it because this is year five for me.” Natasha Mack finished fifth with 4,777 points. Mack also was the defensive player of the year after leading the league in blocks and rebounds per game, and the rest of the defensive team included Gardner, Kiah Stokes, Morrow and Jaylyn Sherrod. Guard Kaitlyn Chen was newcomer of the year; she finished sixth with 4,593 points.
Memphis Grizzles beat the Slumping Indiana Pacers Taylor Hendricks scored 19 points, Jaylen Wells had 18 and the Memphis Grizzlies beat the Indiana Pacers 125-106 on Sunday. Olivier-Maxence Prosper added 17 points, and Scotty Pippen Jr. and Ryan Rupert each had 16 to help Memphis sweep the season series for the third time in five years. Jarace Walker led Indiana with 21 points, and Micah Potter had 18. Memphis took a 77-66 advantage four minutes into the third period. The Grizzlies were without guard Ja Morant for the 17th consecutive game because of a left elbow injury. Rookie Cedric Coward sat out with a knee injury. Memphis center and former Purdue Star Zach Edey will have another operation on his ailing left ankle, according to the team. The 7-foot-3 Edey has been sidelined since Dec. 7. Indiana’s Pascal Siakam missed his second consecutive game with a sore right shooting hand. Indiana heads West to face the Los Angeles Clippers on Wednesday Night.