With one week left of the regular season, the Big Ten has come to crunch time with multiple teams on the brink of elimination and clinching a spot in the conference tournament.
Last week, one Big Ten squad clinched its bid to the postseason, while another became the first to be eliminated.
Here’s a look at some of the top action across the conference in the second-to-last week of regular-season play.
UCLA clinches top tournament seed
After winning the Big Ten championship last year, UCLA is ready and back for more.
The Bruins clinched the top seed in the tournament earlier this week in a win over Washington, silencing Michigan’s late-season push for the No. 1 spot.
Despite losing its seventh game of the year to then-No. 4 Texas, UCLA has won every game since then, including a 17-0 Big Ten record so far this season. With its last game coming against unranked USC on Sunday, the Bruins are on track to be the first undefeated Big Ten team since Maryland in the 2014-15 season.
Against Washington last week, UCLA’s Lauren Betts once again led the way with 23 points, followed by double-digit performances against Gianna Kneepkens, Kiki Rice, Gabriela Jaquez and Angela Dugalić.
On Sunday, the Bruins beat Wisconsin 80-60 behind the second straight double-digit performance from each of those five players.
Postseason elimination
After losing its ninth straight game on Saturday, Rutgers became the first team to be eliminated from Big Ten tournament contention.
The Scarlet Knights fell to last in the conference following Penn State’s win over Northwestern on Feb. 15 and proceeded to stay there after another pair of losses last week.
Rutgers’ first loss came on the road at Illinois, where it was held to just 56 points on 38.9% shooting. After trailing by just two points following the first quarter, the Scarlet Knights were outscored 46-21 in the second and third quarters.
Graduate guard Faith Blackstone was the leading scorer for Rutgers, scoring just 13 points. Between Blackstone and Nene Ndiaye — the only other double-digit scorer — the Scarlet Knights mounted a 23-16 fourth quarter, but were unable to overcome the deficit.
Those struggles continued into Saturday’s game against the Lady Lions, where the Scarlet Knights fell 87-78.
Former Rutgers star Kiyomi McMiller led the way, tying her career-high 37 points as Penn State led 21-18 after 10 minutes and never turned back. Following the loss, Rutgers was eliminated from Big Ten tournament contention, while the blue and white fought on.
Battle for No. 2
Michigan was in control of the No. 2 seed in the Big Ten tournament for a few weeks until Iowa upset the Wolverines on Sunday afternoon.
The maize and blue were held to its fewest points this season, scoring just 44 points through 40 minutes. The Hawkeyes held Michigan to single-digit scoring in the second and fourth quarters, with just eight and nine points, respectively.
Sophomore center Ava Heiden led the charge for Iowa, scoring 24 points — nearly 40% of her team’s scoring.
For the Wolverines, just five players found the net, and just two recorded double-digits. While Olivia Olson, Syla Swords and Mila Holloway each averaged double-digit scoring and a combined 45.9 points per game this year, they totaled just 31 points against the Hawkeyes.
Both teams have a pair of games left this year, with Michigan’s coming against No. 10 Ohio State and No. 14 Maryland, while Iowa will face unranked Illinois and Wisconsin
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