INDIANAPOLIS — Fifteen teams from across the country arrived in Indianapolis this week hoping to win the 2026 Big Ten Women’s Basketball Tournament. Four days and 13 games later, only two remain: No. 1 seed UCLA and No. 2 seed Iowa.
These two programs have combined for the last four titles: Iowa from 2022-24 and UCLA last year. The Bruins only joined the Big Ten in 2024, but they already have a chance to become the sixth program to win the conference tournament multiple times. (Iowa has six Big Ten tournament titles, which ranks second all time.)
Here’s everything you need to know about Sunday’s showdown.
UCLA vs. Iowa
- Time: 2:15 pm ET | Date: Sunday March 8
- Location: Gainbridge Fieldhouse, Indianapolis, Indiana
- television channel:CBS | Live broadcast: Supreme+
The Bruins dominated the first meeting
These two teams have met once this season, on February 1. UCLA dominated proceedings in Los Angeles, leading by as many as 27 en route to an 88-65 victory. The Bruins had five players in double figures and shot 58% from the field and forced 19 Hawkeyes turnovers.
In Iowa’s defense, that February game was their second road game in four days on a trip to the West Coast, and on Sunday they will have the crowd on their side. Still, the first meeting was a reflection of how easily UCLA has breezed through the Big Ten this season.
The 30-1 Bruins, ranked No. 2 in the country, were a perfect 18-0 in conference play and won 17 of those games by double digits. Including their two tournament games so far, they are 20-0 against Big Ten foes with 19 double-digit wins.
It’s no surprise that UCLA is a heavy favorite heading into Sunday.
“We are at a point where no one in the country thought we would be”
While UCLA, which has six potential 2026 WNBA Draft picks, entered the season as the clear favorite in the Big Ten, no one expected Iowa to be right there with them. In the big ten preseason coaches pollThe Hawkeyes weren’t even projected to be in the top five.
Five months later, Iowa is ranked No. 9 in the country after finishing second in the Big Ten, and has a chance to win a fourth Big Ten Tournament title in the last five years.
“I told him [my players] I was very grateful. We are now in a place where no one in the country thought we would be except the people in that group. Nobody really predicted this, that we could be there,” Iowa coach Jan Jensen said Saturday. “I didn’t know until we started working in June. “This team has something special.”
“I know, I know, we have to play UCLA tomorrow and they’re great, they’re 6-foot-7.” [Lauren Betts]”but for us to be here and have this moment… I just told them to enjoy it and know that this circle believed, and now we have a chance to make it to the finals of one of the most prestigious conferences in the United States,” Jensen continued.
Both teams focused on themselves.
Whether out of a sense of caution or simply a reminder of the lack of preparation time in a tournament, both teams said they were focused on themselves heading into Sunday.
“Honestly, I think it’s about playing to our standard every game,” UCLA guard Charlisse Leger-Walker said when asked about the keys to victory. “We have goals that no matter who we play, we always want to attack, whether it’s on the defensive end, rebounding or coming out with really good energy. If we’re the aggressors in a lot of those areas, we prepare pretty well.”
Fellow Bruin Gianna Kneepkens echoed those thoughts, saying, “the goal is just to play our brand of basketball…if we play really hard, which I know we will, things will go the way they’re supposed to go.”
In the Iowa locker room, senior forward Hannah Stuelke admitted that UCLA will be a tough challenge.
“They have a lot of great pieces and I’m not sure how we’re going to handle it yet,” Stuelke said. “But I think the key will be just showing up and being ourselves, being aggressive and giving it our all.”
Likewise, Chit-Chat Wright said the Hawkeyes will have to play “Iowa basketball” to pull off the upset. “Not trying to do anything else outside of what we do and just focusing on our scout,” he said.
Can Iowa cope with UCLA’s size?
While UCLA has incredible talent, their size is also a big reason for their success this season. Lauren Betts stands out at 6-foot-7, but the Bruins also have three other rotation players who are at least 6-foot-4, and no one on the roster is shorter than 5-foot-10.
No wonder one of the first things Chit-Chat Wright said in the Iowa locker room about UCLA was “they have a pretty big team.”
The Bruins’ size will be a real problem for the 5-foot-4 Wright, in particular. Although extremely fast, Wright is the second-smallest player in the Big Ten and will face two potential first-round WNBA draft picks: 5-foot-11 Kiki Rice and 5-foot-10 Charlisse Leger-Walker, who know how to use their size to their advantage on both sides of the ball. In the first meeting, Wright scored just 10 points on 3-of-8 shooting, while Rice and Leger-Walker combined for 27 points on 11-of-19 shooting.
Additionally, UCLA’s advantage in the paint will pose problems for Iowa. No one in the country has an answer for Betts, who scored 16 points (8 of 11) the first time the teams met. But it’s not just about Betts, it’s the depth UCLA can reach. Siena Betts, Lauren’s sister, Angela Dugalić and Amanda Muse are 6 feet 4 inches tall. Iowa only has three players on its roster taller than six feet, and one of them is freshman Layla Hays, who barely plays.
The Bruins are second in the country in offensive rebounding rate (44.5%) and fifth in points in the paint per game (43.4). If the Hawkeyes want to pull off an upset, they’ll have to find some way to deal with the Bruins around the basket.
Prediction
This has been an incredible season for Iowa, and the fact that this game will be in Indianapolis in front of a large pro-Hawkeyes crowd will be important. However, there is a reason why UCLA is ranked No. 2 in the country and is one of the favorites to win the national championship.
Iowa is going to fight and work very hard, and if this turns into a low possession job, they will have a chance to keep things interesting. However, in the end, UCLA’s talent, size and depth will prove too much and the Bruins will defend their Big Ten Tournament crown. Pick: UCLA 72, Iowa 59